Depict your processing into America- What did you go through to enter America? Did you enter at Ellis Island or Angel Island? What tests did you have to go through to be allowed entrance to the United States? Which city are you going to settle in? Why did you choose that city?
Journal Entry 2
I finally got to Ellis Island. It's a relief to finally be off that ship, especially after seeing so many people getting sick and some dying. Now just when I thought I was free in America, I .have to go through all this ridiculous testing and questioning. I've heard of some people being rejected before. They had to go all the way back to Ireland on those stinky, dirty ships. Luckily, I made it through all the tests and questions. It wasn't easy though. First I had to go up these stairs and there were these people watching everybody walk up. For some reason they marked some people with letters. I had a feeling those letters didn't mean anything good and was glad when I made it passed them without a single mark on me. After that, they made sure I had a passport. On top of that, they had some literacy testing... They made sure I could read and understand English to a point I guess. I'm not really sure, all I know is that I apparently passed it. Then they had the two most ridiculous questions- they asked me if I was an anarchist and whether or not I had at least $25. I answered "no" to the anarchist question and I did have $25 so I guess that's what they wanted to hear out of me. I've decided that I'm going to be living in New York, it seems like a good place to live. It has plenty of job opportunities and I've heard there's these ethnic neighborhoods that you can go too that has only people from your country. I hope to go and live in a neighborhood with Irish people like that. I also heard that in cities like New York there's these settlement houses where I can learn some new things and that might be good to give me some work options. I haven't decided whether I want to live in either dumbbell tenements or row houses though. They both sound like the living quarters are right next to others living space. The dumbbell tenements apparently don't have many bathrooms in them but that shouldn't be a big problem. I guess I'll just have to figure out what I want to live in when I get to a good neighborhood. -Brogan Gallagher
July 2, 1896
Today I arrived at Ellis Island. My journey was very long and tiresome. Ellis Island was a lot different then I expected. I thought it would be quiet and orderly but instead my five children and I were bombarded the minute we set foot on the stairs. People were checking us to see if we had any sort of disease or something. Lukas was marked with an X because of his eyes. One of them was slightly red but that was just because he got dirt in it when we were coming off the boat. Even though I told them this, they were insistent on him being further checked. They thought that he had trachoma. The other children moved on to their reading and intelligence tests while I went with Lukas to see the doctors. After a couple of painful tests, Lukas was cleared and we met up with the other children. They stuck a pin in his eye and it broke my heart to see him in that much pain. We are just going to New York because it's close. We barely have the 25 dollars to just get into the US so we don't have enough to travel. Plus, my husband is already here in New York. He left about 3 months ago. He did not want us to go with him because he was not sure how the conditions would be. We have heard many stories about the splendor of America but my husband is very sceptical. He has written to me that he has secured a job at a clothing factory and has found a dumbell tenement for us to live. He says that it is in a small ethnic neighborhood and that we will be able to make friends easily. I hope he is right.
- Emmalina Eigner
Talbor Kovács
September 9, 1907
Yesterday, i came into Ellis island. It was so cramped with immigrants, people were coughing and some could hardly even walk. As people were walking off the boat, many of them were being chalked for some reason. The letters were in English, which i did not recognize yet. I walked out of the boat I walked as best and as straight as I was able too, I grab what little belongings I had and walked with the crowd. I had no clue what way we were walking into, but I hoped I would soon be able to rest. I met a man from Italy on my way through the line, he never actually told me who he was. I couldn't understand what he was saying, all I knew was Hungarian. It is such a melting pot here, people from all over the world are flooding into this place. It looks like there will be ethinic neighborhoods here as ethnic groups like to stay in there own little groups. I have to go now, I will tell you about going through ellis island in my next entry.
Talbor Kovács
September 10, 1907
This journal entry will be out my experience in Ellis Island a day and another ago. As I was getting close to the front, a man came up to me and asked me where I was from. He gave me a card that was written in Hungarian and told me when i go to the front I had to do exactly what this card says to show i knew how to speak and understand Hungarian. The card read like this, "The instructions are simple, take the card and flip it over 3 times. Then use your left hand to face the card upside down on the table". When i got to the guard i preformed what the card said for him, he told me to keep my eyes open so he could do a quick check. When he was done with this, one of the questions he asked me was if I was an Anarchist, he said this was mandatory because there had been a problem with an anarchist in New York City. After this he asked me my name and wrote me a card that said I was a citizen now, I was finally a citizen of America.
Talbor Kovács
September 11, 1907
This is my third day out of Ellis island, and i dont know where to go. The city is so cramped and a thing called urbanization has hit and people from the country are flooding into the cities too. The people here are very mean to me and I dont understand why, many other immigrants tell me it's Nativism. They said that the people who lived here before us dislike immigrants. I have been looking for a job for these past few days. Ive decided to live in New York City, it will be the easiest for my family. I will be buying a 3 room dumbell tenement for us, I heard they are small but thats all that i can afford. My wife and 4 kids will be moving here after after I am able to get an apartment and job set up. My wife will be working in the factories, and I am trying to get a job in a coal mine in Pennsylvania. It will be a short ride on a train and I think it will be the easiest way for me. This will be my last entry for a while, once I get my life started here I will be sure to right in my journal again.
Day 22-
We are reaching the port of Ellis Island in New York. I would be more excited if Toris would refrain from harassing our other cabin members. He is trying to get them to dance in celebration of our arrival and the journey's end aboard this evil ship. I tell him not to get too close to the others and stay near me because many are infected and I heard that if you are sick the government officials can demand you be sent back to your former country. The anti-American immigrant has tried to sway me into joining his cause of remaining aboard to ship to travel to Italy. His hatred of America has risen to unbelievable levels now, as he speaks of flammable row houses with thin walls and dumbbell tenements where you only have one room to share with your family. I must say though, when he speaks of child labor and the conditions with which the children work under disgust and terrify me. I would rather work for nothing than allow Toris to live live that. I must finish gathering our few possession as the ship is reaching the port.
Day 25-
We made it through the port successfully. They held us for three days but eventually were forced to let us through as there were more families bigger than our two-person party to deal with. We both had to take literacy tests and Toris passed his with flying colors. I had a little trouble as the print was tiny but I made it. In the end all I had to was flip a card a few times then put it down with my left hand. Afterwards the man asked me if I was an an anarchist. Not knowing what it was I said no. When I asked Toris he said they were bad people who wanted to hurt the government. I wonder how he knew?
The money we had proved to be enough to allow us in without the need for welfare. A man tried to stall us for not having passports ready but I eventually retrieved them from my bag and presented them. When he read my name he decided it was odd Feliks had a 'K' and an 'S' instead of an 'X'. I told him I was named after a Polish relative and there is no 'X' in their alphabet. He said it was too long and changed it to Felix Loren. I feel stripped of something very important but I can deal for he said if I accept it I can become a citizen of America. Later they also checked us for disease and other illnesses. We both came up negative. Thank goodness. If I or Toris were to be deported without the other I would swim across the ocean to be with him. He may not care that much about me but he's little brother.We also had to climb these treacherous staircases; I had to carry Toris up them when he got tired! But we made it and now we are here in America.
~Later on... My first task was to find a job and housing sufficient enough for myself and Toris. He's in a church praying to his gracious and merciful God for giving us safe passage and all that other religious stuff. There is a man walking towards where I am. Maybe he has a question?
Day 26-
The mysterious man who walked to where I was first started to speak to me in English, but what once he heard my Russian accent he started speak in Russian. So surprising. He said he could help me get a job, a place to live, and food! Even help me get Toris into school as well! All he said was that I had to vote for a man named Tweed on election time... Should I accept the offer or not?
Day 30-
I did take the opportunity to help Toris.
Feliks L. or rather Felix Loren now as they call me in America.
Dear children,
I have made it to America and I now sit waiting on Ellis Island. I've seen many people turned down because they were sick. I currently have a subsiding cough and I had tried to hide it but they caught me and wrote on my shoulder with a white powdery material. One of the men marked my room mate with an x and a circle around it while I was marked with what I later found out as a P. They told me that I'm going to have to wait here for a couple of days to see if I can in to America. This is so frustrating. I'm so close to America and I'm being denied passage at the moment. I've been reading old "The New-York Times" here dated from 1873 and have found many articles about Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring. Apparently, America isn't as golden as it seems but in the end justice was served. Tammany Hall is a place in New York city and was very corrupt and bought votes from immigrants. I don't see a problem with that though because immigrants could chose not to accept. I understand that it's illegal to do that but America should make it legal and allow all the political figures to hand out food, jobs, housing, and money to people to show how much they care. This Tweed fellow apparently stole around 200 million dollars and was eventually caught. The later newspapers tell of how Tweed then escaped to Spain and was caught by authorities there and recognized by a picture that Thomas Nast drew. Anyway back to my horrible waiting situation. When I got here they wanted to know how much money I had. I didn't want to tell them for fear that they'd take it from me. Eventually they explained that they weren't going to take it they just wanted to check and see how much money I had. I showed them the $43 that I had and they let me through to the next part. The doctor here is very kind and tells me that most likely I'll be let out of here and into America in 3 days. The doctor talks to me sometimes about the Chinese exclusion act. This act is being renewed again this year and he's not happy. He says that his parents were Chinese and they came here for a better life. He feels that the number of chinese they do allow in isn't fair since they don't limit any other countries amount of immigrants. I'm not going to retreat to my corner and try to catch some sleep. From this corner I can see the Statue of Liberty. It's so majestic and huge. Maybe someday I'll be able to see it up close.
Herman Van Buren
Jan. 21, 1902
June 3, 1906
Today was the start of my new life in America. We docked at Ellis Island early this morning and I could barely contain myself. Although we were in third class, we were able to leave the ship very quickly. There was so much pushing that was caused by the travelers anticipation to start their new lives. We first had to walk up a very large flight of stairs and Bella was marked with chalk. She was ushered away and I thought I would never see her again. Although I was scared, I had to keep going with out her. I had to prove my citizenship in Italy, speak the only English I knew, and show them my 25 dollars. They asked if i was an Anarchist, and since I didn't understand, I just nodded my head no. Then it was over. They gave me a certificate and said, "Welcome to America!" I later went to the "kissing booth" to find my father and sister waiting for me. It was a sweet reunion as we headed to Manhattan toward our dumbbell tenement. Our father, Romano, said we were going to have to go to work, but would avoid the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. He said it was our responsibility, that we were to old to be educated anyway. He also said there were many children working for their families, and were known as child laborers.
-Annalisa Conzoneri (Italy)
May 23, 1904,
When I arrived in Ellis Island I was quickly moved to an area that separated people by their country of origin into small groups. My group was first put through a physical exam where each person had to move up and down a set of stairs. Before we started the stairs each member of my group was given a medical inspection card One man in my group was suddenly marked with white chalk and unable to finish the test was sent off to another room for more testing to be done on him. My medical inspection card was stamped with the word passed and I was moved on to the next area. The next step was the
mental exam and on mine I had to copy a picture of a diamond which was fairly easy for me to do. There were also other different mental tests that others took like counting numbers and problem solving questions. The next step for me was a legal inspection where I was asked questions about my occupation, family, finances, and if I have ever committed a crime. Some of the other questions I was asked were if I was an anarchist and a series of questions to see if I would be able to support myself in America. The people who did not answer these questions correctly were put in detention until they were sent back home or were finally allowed into the United States. When I was able to leave Ellis Island I had no family waiting for me at the kissing post but i was determined to find a job to support my family. I had decided to stay in New York City because it required the least amount of extra travel for me. The first thing i looked for when I arrived in New York was a place to live. I had heard from another fellow countryman that there was an ethnic neighborhood on the east side of town so I headed there first. When I got to the neighborhood the houses were all dumbbell tenements which I was unfamiliar with, but that is where I decided to stay.
Vladimir Dracula (Transylvania)
June 3, 1906
My sister and I are American! We live in New York now. After the boat docked in Ellis Island we had to go through a series of tests. I was so tired when I got off the boat and there were so many stairs! My excitement got me to the top and I manged to score a white chalk mark on my way up. I was whisked away to get a medical examine. I was so scared that I would get separated from my sister but we met up later. I also had to write my name, read and write in English, get my eyes checked and show them I had $25. That was the last of my savings but it is totally worth it. They asked me if I was an anarchist and since I didn't know what they were talking about I shook my head no. We saw father again! He looked very tired but very happy to see us. He was describing his life here and didn't sound like what I thought it would. He works in a factory and he says that now we must go to work in a factory. He says that even though the child labor here is hard that we must to earn money to support our family. He said we will not have to work in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Hopefully Annalisa and I can work in the same factory. When we got home I wanted to sleep so bad but was astonished at what I saw. We live in a dumbbell tenement. It is very small, only about 16 feet wide and we have to share it with another family.
Bella Canzoneri (Italy)
June 21, 1911: Entry 2
We just got done with everything we had to do at Ellis Island which took a long time. Something interesting I got to see when we landed was the Statue of Liberty, it was really big.
After we entered Ellis Island we had to climb this big flight of stairs. This was kinda hard because we had just gotten off a boat and were really tired. There were these people that were watching us with clip boards in their hands but I don't really know what they were doing. They were marking letters on people and the ones that had letters had to go to a separate area. I am guessing that it wasn't a good thing. No one in my family got marked so we could go onto the the next thing. We had to have our documents checked and were asked if we were anarchists. I didn't know what this was, but my parents said we weren't. We also had to take a literacy test, which we all passed. They asked if we had at least $25 dollars. I guess it was to prove to them that we would be able to live on our own until we got jobs. We had a little bit of money because Pa and Ma had been saving up for the trip to America. Our family was still going to have to get jobs though. I heard about this factory, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, that got caught on fire. I am worried that something like that will happen at somewhere that I work. I have also heard of settlement houses. I guess they are supposed to help us immigrants learn basic skills. I don't know if we will go to one, but it's always a option.
We decided that we are probably going to move to Hawthorne, New York because it offers my family many jobs. Pa said that we are probably going to have to live in a dumbbell tenement which is a little house that a lot of people can live in. He said that we might also have to live in a row house, which is very similar. They are tiny single family houses that are all attached. I hope that we have enough room... I am starting to wonder if America is going to be as great as people have been making it out to be. We haven't yet gotten to Hawthorne yet, but when we do I will write what it is like. Wish us luck, I think we are going to be needing a lot of it.
Sofia
June 12, 1901
It was a great relief when we finally got the word that we would land in Ellis Island in a few days. The boat had this new splash of optimism. A few children and older people had died from a pneumonia outbreak that started with an unchecked processed child.We'd been on the ship for almost trois weeks.
We pulled into port and my heart almost leaped out of my chest. I heard of all the promises of greatness in America and the pure look of it, it seemed like it would deliver. I was excited to see my father more than anything. I knew that as soon as we finished all our tests, we would be reunited. I had overheard people talking of the tests that we had to go through and knew of how ridiculous they were. I was just glad that I wasn't an Anarchist for they were not even considered, they were just sent right back to the horrible conditions in Europe or wherever they came from. I also was scared of the Nativism groups. While we didn't look much different then others, I knew our accents would cause people to react negatively to us. That made me quite uncomfortable.
As soon as we got off the boat we were hurled into inspections. It was like a big melting pot of people of all different races and origins blending together. All through our inspections my mom kept saying how excited she was to be part of such a great urbanization movement. She said that my father was so grateful as well. He said that he kept writing to her telling her that Jane Adams was his female knight in shining armor, and without her, we wouldn't be heading over. I didn't know what she did, but I assumed it was something to do with helping him get a job. He also warned us, as his friends had warned him, to not get involved with Tammany Hall. They would most likely approach my mom, and offer her jobs and such, but I wouldn't be surprised if she still accepted whatever they were offering.
I have to go now for we are done with our inspections. I don't think I will have much time to write in the future, but I promise I will whenever I can.
Mademoiselle Fifi Flavie
August 1, 1897
It was so refreshing to get off that cramped, disgusting, smelly ship! As I took my first breath of fresh air I looked up and saw Ellis Island up close. There were huge brick buildings with many people everywhere speaking languages I had never heard. In fact I had never heard any other languages but Italian and English before I came to America. When we finally got in the main building we were corralled like cattle into lines where the men in uniform were asking us for our inspection card to stamp. Next, we were pushed up the stairs that were lined with more uniformed men. One of them grabbed to lady walking next to me who was coughing and made a mark on her jacket. I wondered what the mark was for but didn't dwell on it too long. Once at the top of the stairs, we were made to walk in a circle to check for health problems. Then we were led to the left where we each had to complete a puzzle of a steamship along with three other puzzles. Then we were asked to draw a diamond shape. After that, we were asked questions like; What is your name? Do you have any relatives here? Do you have a criminal record? Are you an anarchist? Have you ever been to the United States before? They also asked how much money momma had and asked to see it. Momma pulled out our $29 and he let us pass. As we were finally walking toward the exit, we were met with one last line in between us and America. When we got to the front of the line he asked to see all our documents for a final check of stamps and he asked us our names and wrote them down on tags that he pinned to our clothes. Then asked us where we were going to live. Momma said that her husband was waiting for her and he that he has a place for us to all live. We were free! We all saw daddy at the "kissing post" and ran into his arms smiling with tears of joy running down our faces. Once we were done with our family reunion, momma ask dad were we were living. He told us that we will be living in Little Italy, New York. I was ecstatic! Momma asked why he picked that city. He said that is was best because its not as big of a culture shock. He also explained that New York is a big melting pot and that there are many different ethnic neighborhoods where people from the same culture would congregate just like we are doing. I was so happy to see my father that happy and have my family reunited once again with a whole new beginning ahead of us!
Alessandra
September 26, 1910
Today we landed in Ellis Island, New York. There were a ton of immigrants just like my family. I don't know why but I was very surprised. I knew the boat was crowded but I never considered how many other boats were just as crowded as the one I was on that were coming from other places. At this place, and after standing in lines for hours we had to go through many different tests to make sure it was okay that we entered the United States. We had to go through physicals tests like walking up flights of stairs. And then there were tests that the U.S. government gave us. They asked us questions like if I was an anarchist, because I guess at one point one of their presidents was killed or at least was tried to be murdered by an anarchist. We also had to show them our legal documents and take a literary test to make sure we can read and write and speak English. After that we had to go through a series of medical testing so the Americans would know that we were not bringing in some disease that would start an epidemic or something like that. I saw one lady who was tested positive for TB and she had three children with her and the Americans sent all of them back to their home country. Luckily my mother, sister, and I all passed all of the tests just like my father did! Once we were finally through all of the testing and standing in lines we met my father outside. I gave him a huge hug! I missed him so so much. As we were standing their I noticed a group of people standing their yelling at all of the immigrants. I asked father who they were. He told me that those people were Americans who believed in nativism. They were against immigration and were for English speaking people. I assume they won't hate us all that much, we are pretty good at speaking English. I have been practicing for a while. As I looked around even more and taking in all the new buildings and all the people I noticed that America was like a huge melting pot of all different kinds of people. On our way to our apartment Father took us by a place called a settlement house. This is a place were immigrants could to find people that would help them to adjust to the new place and where people would help them get around and to teach them to speak English.We stopped by here because Father had been helping a man that was also from France but did not know any English. Finally when we got to our apartment my first thought was it is so SMALL! I couldn't believe it. Mother nearly fainted. How are we going to survive here? Father assures us that things will get better and that living here is the best thing for us right now. When i looked out the one tiny window we had I saw a big factory. It was called the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. This factory, Father told me, made all the women's clothing and that it is a very hazardous building but at some point Mother or I might end up working there. I'm worried. What if something bad happens?
Valerie Reynolds
Journal Entry 2
My brother and I have passed through Ellis Island without much trouble, although we did go through some tests. As we got of the ship, we filed up the stairs where people with clipboards and chalk were marking certain people with letters. Neither my brother nor I were marked, and when we reached the top we were separated and entered a building where we were interviewed. In the building we were interviewed, we were asked if we knew how to read, speak and write in English. The last question they asked us was if we were anarchist, we answered no, because we saw another immigrant being escorted back to the ship yelling “I’m not an anarchist!” After the interview I asked them if my brother and I should rent a place in a row house, he said no, and suggested that we go to an ethnic neighborhood, and rent a place with other Irish immigrants in a dumbbell tenement. So now we are thinking about staying in New York City since we are already here, and there are plenty of Irish neighborhoods.
-Alex Quinn
Huete ist Samstag, den 23. 1893 Februar
I am now only 5 hours away from Ellis Island, and then from there go right into New York. The food on the ship has gotten really bad. The bread isn't white anymore and is rock hard, there is very few things to drink, and everybody gets small portions to eat. The smell around my cabin was really sickening now, so I stayed up on the deck as often as I could. Once I reach Ellis Island, I am going to be the first off of this ship.
The ship was finally docked at Ellis Island, and I could finally get off. I had everything of mine packed before the boat got here, so I could get off faster, but I wasn't the only one who thought of this, so I still had to wait in a line to get off. Walking towards the designated area for us, I saw that there were doctors who were examining everybody, sometimes marking them with a letter and sending them to a different line. Once I was through this area, they asked for my name and sent me to a cafeteria area and told me to wait for my name to be called. The cafeteria was amazing, there were all sorts of things you could eat. There was cold milk, fish, white, soft bread with butter, and fresh fruit. So far has been a great start for getting into America. I heard my name called, and they sent me into a room where there was a desk and another man with papers in front of him. I sat down at a chair and he started asking me questions like "Can you speak English, and if so, how well?" and "Do you have $25?" and "Where do you plan to live and work?" After I answered all of these, he handed me a paper questionnaire. After I filled it out and gave it back to him, he looked it over and said for me to continue on.
I got onto the next ferry to New York. When I got off, I needed to find a place to live and work. I talked to some people to find out what to do, and people told me that there were settlement houses that could help find anything that I needed. Right when I was walking down the road, a man came up to me.He introduced himself as Bjorn. He said if I was looking for a place to live, he could help me, so I agreed. He took me to a place that he called a "dumbbell tenement", and said that it was cheap rent, but I would have to share the room with someone, so I said that it would be fine if it was fine by the other person. When we got there he took me to a room that was on the first floor, next to an alley, and knocked on the door. Another German answered the door, where Bjorn introduced me too him. His name was Jens Deiter. Bjorn said that Jens would take me to my job, which I was surprised to already have, and said that if I had any questions, I could go to Tammany Hall and find him there.
Joseph Kuafmann
Huete ist Fritag, den 28. 1892 Dezember
Today was the day, I have finally made it to America. After the long grueling trip across the Atlantic were the cabin conditions were at the worst, but on the bright side I finally get some fresh hair. The island I arrived at is Ellis Island, it looked very welcoming next to the Statue of Liberty. As I was walking to the building there were people watching us as we went. I saw one of them mark someone but thought nothing of it. I entered the building first and started the tests right away. The tests were fairly easy, one was just reading instructions that were in English and the only hard part was deciding left from right. Then they had me show 25 dollars and then sign my name. Afterward the last thing I was asked was if I was an anarchist and I said no, I started to wonder if they did not like anarchists. All this was done in an hour and the inspector sent me to a hall for food, it was amazing for I got to choose what I wanted to eat and the food was great for it was a lot better than the food on the ship. I just sat there afterwards wondering why the ship had no food that was this good. But then a man walked up to me and said he was willing to give me a place to stay called a dumbbell tenement and that he was part of a group called the tweed ring. At the same time though another man came up to give me my passport and had the other man leave, so I could not find more out.
I walked out of the building to start my new life in America. As I entered the city there were people talking about settlement houses that would help them find jobs, earn a living, and many other skills. I heard of a German neighborhood and went there were I got a place in a dumbbell tenement, I also heard of other ethnic neighborhoods around the city. It was nothing to brag about. There was a lot of talk about a act called the Chinese Exclusion Act which seemed to interest some people. I decided to walk around and explore and that is when it hit me that there was a lot of child labor here in the city. It shocked me at how many kids that were working in this city, it just looked weird. I walked past the Tammany Hall which had a lot of men in suits walking around that looked very busy. When I started to head back to my small apartment I walked down a different street with row houses that looked a lot better than I was living in, I started to wonder about the row houses as I walked back to my new house wondering if I will ever be in one. I hope so.
Jens Deiter
Our first day in America were very busy. We got off the ship at Ellis Island, New York. It was so nice to finally get some fresh air! I learned that America is called the Melting Pot because of how many immigrants are there from different countries. I guess a lot of the cultures combine here like a big melting pot. Getting off the ship was chaos. There were so many people all trying to go to one place. I almost lost my brother and sister in the process.
The first thing we had to do was leave all of our bags in one place so we could go through inspection. As we walked up the stairs to the main hall, health inspectors and doctors were watching. Anyone who looked sick got a mark on them and they had to do go see a doctor before entering into America. I was lucky enough to make it past any of the doctors without getting marked. Mario and Marcella made it past too. From there we went into the Great Hall. The Great Hall is where all of the legal paperwork and and tests are done. We had to show the officials our passports so they knew we were legal to come into America. Then I had to take a literacy test to see if I could read or write at all. A lot of people had trouble doing the test because they didn't know English very well. Next, they asked a few easy questions. One of them asked if we were anarchists. If we said yes, we would be sent right back to Italy. They're afraid that the people who are against government will try to overthrow the one that's in place. The last thing we had to do was exchange our euros for dollars and show that we had 25 dollars. The officials say that is enough for us to live off of for at least a month while we find a place to live and a job. All of the tests and inspections took about six hours to get through. A lot of people that were on the boat with us had to stay longer because they had to do medical inspections or other problems with the legal papers. I am so glad that we were done as fast as we were. I can't wait to start our new life in America! After we were done at Ellis Island, we took a ferry over to Manhattan. Mario decided it would be best if we lived in New York City, New York. There are many different places there to work so finding a job and making money will be easier if we stay there. There are ethnic neighborhoods in New York. If we live in one of these, we will be living with other people who have moved from Italy and it will make the transition easier. Also, we know where it is and it's just easier to stay close to where the ferry dropped us off. The houses that most of the immigrants live in are called dumbbell tenements. We live in one in a neighborhood called Little Italy. The building is pretty crowded and with all the people living in one place, its kind of gross. But this is all we can afford for now and I am just happy to have a place to live. Hopefully soon we can move into a different house. Something called row houses. I hear they are bigger nicer than dumbbell tenements and way less crowded. My first couple days were long and exhausting. Soon, we are going to go out and find jobs so we can officially start our life in America.
Maria DeLuca
June 27, 1893
We arrived at Ellis Island this morning and my fears have been confirmed. i was marked when an amerikan heard my cough. i will not be sent back, at least not yet. I'm being sent to a hospital in New York. My sister and all her children passed through. They will go on to Ohio where i will meet them as soon as i can. Unfortunately i don't know how long that will be. -Kassandra
July 7, 1893
I have been in this hospital for over a week. It is a tiresome place to live. They do not let you do much more than read, eat, and sleep. they tell me i have a disease called typhoid fever. They i must stay here until they are sure the disease is out of me. They give me papers and books to read. Right now I'm reading a book called The Naval War of 1812 by a politician named Theodore Roosevelt. Although it's quite dull it teaches me some American history. They also let me read the papers, i never knew there were so many problems in amerika. Child labor is now something i worry about for my nieces and nephews, will they be forced to work? What if they get hurt? The horrible housing for factory workers, the settlement houses and dumbbell tenements are small and unclean. The conditions are almost worse than in Berlin! I'm scared that this was the wrong decision to come here. But it's too late for second guessing myself now...
-Kassandra
July 29, 1893
I made it out of the hospital. I'm now living in an ethnic neighborhood in New York City. I met a woman when i was applying for a job at the factory that said i could live with her. Her name is Elizabeth and she is also a German immigrant. She came her about five years back. The factory we work at is called the triangle shirtwaist factory, it seems to be an okay place to work although it's very strict on the immigrant women. I'm still reading the papers to learn more about American culture. They call America a melting pot i guess what that means is there are so many different people and races coming together. i don't know if the people of America are happy with being a melting pot, they don't seem to be very fond of us.
-Kassandra
Journal Entry 2
March 18 1896
Walking up the stairs felt great and I'm not sick anymore. I noticed that the guy in front of me was coughing and some guys on the stairs mobbed him and marked him with a T. I didn't know what to think about that so i kept walking. Then when i finished my test I noticed them kicking a guy out I wonder what happened. I waited for the boat to New York and i grabbed a bite to eat. When I landed I looked for somebody who understood my accent and then this guy named Jacob came up. He asked if i had anywhere to go and i didn't so he said he'd help. He went to get something and this guy said be careful he could be involved in the Tweed Ring. I didn't care if it got me food and a roof I was okay. I got a job as a cop and i get a good amount of cash for not arresting people. I also saw a lot of children working at the business I walked by. I lived by myself in a dumbbell tenement it was kinda roomy for one person. I went to a settlement house to learn English and law. I saw a big company and 12 or 13 year old children it was called Triangle Waist Factory. I lived in a Greek neighbor hood it was pretty awesome because I ate gyros everyday.
Apollo Justice
Dear Journal,
Yesterday, I reached America after a two-week-long trip from Italy. People said we were at Ellis Island. My family and I walked up the stairs together. There were people wearing strange clothes that were checking every person that walked past them. They put chalk on people that were coughing. Luckily for us, they didn’t put any chalk on any of us. The chalked people were separated and put into a room with other chalked people. After the stairs, people asked to see our papers. My mother got out our passports. Once our passports were checked out we were all asked if we were anarchists. We all said no and then moved on. We were in the new land.
My father was waiting for us after we passed the anarchist test. However a man approached us before my father reached us. He said he could set us up with a place to stay and a job for the boys that are of age. When my father arrived at where we were standing he told the man to leave. My father explained that the man would give us kickbacks in exchange for us voting for what they wanted us to. He said that man worked for Tammany Hall which was a political party. I didn’t think it sounded so bad, but my father said we were in a free land and should be able to vote for what we wanted. He was right, of course. I wanted to see the whole city but my father brought us to a neighborhood where everyone was Italian. He called it an ethnic neighborhood. He also said to me that I should keep quiet about the fact I am an immigrant. He said the people that have been living here were picking up the idea of nativism. When we reached our building, our apartment was small, only three rooms. It was called a dumbbell tenement. It was as crammed as the boat. When I asked my father why we were not living in the city he said that we were part of urbanizing it. He said that urbanization was where people lived just on the outskirts of the city, but still in it.
Anthony Bianchi
The Gateway to America Ora ho veduto uno dei posti temuti per gli immigranti, Ellis Island. I have now seen one of the most feared places for immigrants, Ellis Island.
June 5th, 1900
Finally, land at last! Today, I Bruno Gallo, got my first view of America and I must say that it is beautiful. I no longer have to stay on a crowded and cramped ship packed with seasick immigrants. The trip took just over a month, but it felt like forever. My boat stopped on Ellis Island so all of the immigrants could be tested. When I stepped off of the boat, I realized how long it had been since I had walked on land. The island was a melting pot and I saw it immediately. I saw other immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Norway, and many other ethnicities, all of which desired to be in America. I found it amazing to see so many different people in one place at a moment. Once off the boat, I walked with all the others, into a building. In there, we were tested for various illnesses and we took a survey. I saw several people get taken into a room with other sick people. I felt terrible for them. They were about to be further tested and if their tests showed that they were sick, they would be sent back to their homelands. Most of my day was spent waiting in line. I took a survey with 29 questions and also was checked to see if I had 25 dollars. This was understandable. America does not want immigrants to come and then live on the streets. I talked with a friend throughout our time on Ellis Island and he told me various things about the area. He said that he had heard of a concept called Nativism where immigrants would be treated unfairly because they are different than Americans. I hope that this is a lie. When I was done, I was taken to shore and I was officially living in America! As I began to walk, I saw people being unusually kind to immigrants and somewhat bribing them. My friend said that these people were offering kickbacks. He said that these people would make an immigrant feel very welcome and appreciative and then turn and use the immigrants to help them get what they want. I felt bad for any person that would fall into the trap. I realized that I was in a new country with no job, place to live, or family. I am going to live in New York City with some other friends. We are going to live in a Row House. The house is in an ethnic neighborhood of Neapolitans. Most immigrants prefer to live in neighborhoods with others like them because it gives a feeling of security and acceptance. I am so excited to be here. God has surely blessed me! We finally arrived. I thought that the day would never come. The last week on the ship has been difficult, Reagen, my best friend, my only friend I have, died. it was sudden and unexpected, she showed no sign of sickness before she passed. But, I have to move on, I'm in the land of opportunity. Upon arrival, I was walking up the steps and thrust into a long line.the line was so slow. I was scared and alone, until i met Brian O'Riely and his brother. They were kind Irish men from the same town i was from. I told them my story and they generously invited me to live with them. I felt comfortable for the first time in a long time and was excited about my future in America.
When we make it to the front of the line, to grumpy man asks us for our passports and money. I thought they were going to take my money but he said it was just to make sure we had money to live in the country. As we moved to the next table, another unhappy man asks us if we are anarchist. I didn't know what this term anarchist meant so i just said no. Brian and his brother did too. The nest line we were pushed in was to test if we were all literate. They asked me what two plus two was, I said four and then they asked me to draw a diamond. After we all completed this, they sent us along to the next line. This line was awful. I was violated by a man i had never met before. He said it was just standard procedure. I was very uncomfortable, but luckily it didn't take that long.
As we were waiting for the next station in the next line, I couldn't help but notice that the man in front of us was marked with and X and taken out of the line. Brian's brother said that he was to be taken and tested for mental illness. I was so grateful that I wasn't taken out of the line, it had already taken the greater half of the day to get this far and there was more people in this line then any other. I was getting restless and we were all STARVING. When we got to the front of the line they had background checks on all of us. After some time of them reading our information, we were asked our names. Brian was the first to go, saying he was Brian O'Riely, I guess he assumed I was his wife and wrote, on my citizenship papers, that my name was Chloe O'Riely. When I told him that this was not my name he said it is now and told me to carry on. At last we were done! I had never been so relieved to get out of a building in my whole entire life. I will never return to this Island again as long as i live.
Me, Chole O'Conner getting off the ship.
May 25th 1904
Well at least the trip wasn't the five months that I was told. After three weeks on that cramped ship I'm here, Ellis Island! I'm so close to being in America. So far I've passed all the tests. The tests are easy compared to the Chinese tests, since the Chinese Exclusion Act, or at least that's what I've heard. They tested me for all kinds of illnesses like tuberculosis and I'm pretty sure for mental diseases. While I walked up the stairs a man put an "X" on my chest and I was removed from the line. I was taken in to a room and asked quite simple questions. They asked me what two plus two is and if I could draw a diamond. I did them without hesitation. They let me continue on through their processing.
May 26th 1904
I was glad to hear that all my paper work checked out and I was now allowed I to America. I'm going to settle in New York. It's a big city and I think it will be easy to find a job and a place to stay. I checked out some dumbbell Tenements and some row Houses and they were way too expensive for me to own by myself. I will have to find another place to sleep. I found a German ethnic neighborhood and it looked like a nice place. It reminded me so much of Germany. Oh how I miss it! But I am glad I am here. America has become a melting pot, with all the different ethnic groups. Unfortunately immigrants are not as welcome as I had wished. The hostility towards immigrants is terrible. I can tell that they really don't want us here. All well they are just going to have to suck it up and live with us because I am here to stay and to make a living!
Hans Göthe Today we got to Ellis Island, just before we got to the docks my dad asked a friend we made on the boat (Alvise) if our 23 dollars would be enough money to get us in America. He said we would need 25 but not to worry that he would led us 2 for taking care of him when he had been sea sick on the voyage over, we thanked him greatly for his great kindness. Once we got there we were allowed off of the boat, which felt great to walk on solid ground. If I have my way I will never get on another boat in my life. When my dad and I step off the boat and on to the dock I see hundreds of people going up this giant stairs that lead to the doors. I don't really get the Americans it seems really pointless to have us climb stairs after the long boat ride were we were always getting knocked off our feet. Then again we were in America so I was happy.Once inside we came upon a line that looked as if it went on forever. It took forever for us to get to the front and once we did we were taken aside and had a doctor poke and prob us. Then we were given a piece of paper with a literacy test on it. (Lucky me I had befriended an American business man when I lived in Italy and he had taught me some English so I was able to get me and my dad a passing score). Then they asked my and I if we wereanarchistsor not. We said "no"and then showed them our $25 ( thanks to the 2 dollars Alvise gave us).
Once we got off of Ellis Island my dad said that it would be best to find a place to in an Italianethnic neighborhood. He said that it would be easier for us to get used to America around other Italians, and I frankly agreed with him. We then decided that we didn't have the money to live anywhere else other then New York so we set off to find a home. Once we found a Italian neighborhood we started to look at the different houses,Dumbbell tenementsorRow houses. The Dumbbell tenements we saw were extremely filthy, but the Row houses were to expensive. We ended up settling in a room in a Dumbbell tenement. Tomorrow we will set off to find jobs so we can start to earn some money.
-Ciro Chiarin
March 26, 1904
Finally! We've reached Ellis Island! I am so relieved to know that I can get off this boat. My muscles are very sore and cramped. I need to stretch my legs and feel the breeze on my face. I grabbed my only belongings and got off the shop as soon as possible. After the boat docked we got off and right after the dock was a huge flight of stairs! Back in Russia, I had wrestled so I was pretty fit for my age. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. There were men at the top of the stairs with chalk. I didn't know what they were doing but they didn't even bother with me. At the top of the stairs, there were also men who did stop me. They asked me for my passport, my documents, they asked me if I was an anarchist, I had to take a comprehension test, and they made sure I had twenty-five dollars for myself. I had all my documents, I'm not an anarchist, and I passed the test so they let me pass through and finally, I was in America! I was so astonished at all the new things there were that I had never even heard of. I needed to buckle down and get focused. I needed to find a job and fast. Child labor will probable be the easiest work to find. So I'll do that until I can find a better job. Tomorrow I'll start my new life. A fresh start.
-Gregor Kozlov July 6, 1900 I could already tell that life in America would be a challenge. As soon as I got to the island, people started running out of the ship like a herd of animals. The family I roomed with were some of those who didn't run out, so I carried their items while they dealt with the children. The youngest boy Luke, had taken quite a liking to me. It didn't bother the parents, Alice and Konrad, to much because it let them deal with their other two children. While I admit, it was a challenge carrying my own things, their things, and making sure Luke didn't wander off anywhere, I was happy to help the couple. When we finally made our way through the crowds, we made it to the "testing grounds". Or at least, that's what I called it after I finally passed these little tests. First of all, we had to climb up these giant stairs. It was a easy walk for me, it was like working at home. Only there was much more people around me. it was strange because the people who were struggling, were taken off to the side and were given a mark on their hand. I didn't bother asking questions, I had more important things to do. After making it to the very top, we had to read this passage of a book. I had already learned some English so it wasn't much trouble. Following that annoying reading test, they started asking questions like if I was Anarchists , I didn't even know what that was so I answered no to the question. They also kept asking if I was Chinese, because I wasn't allowed in if I was. What was it, some kind of Chinese Exclusion Act going on or something? These tests to get into America were so strange.
After a day full of tests I had finally got to the end of the line. The final question was if I had $25. Of course I had the money! Did they think I was poor or something? At the crowd at the end, I finally met back up with the family. Luke was happy to see his family again, plus people stopped looking at me strange. They must've thought he was my child or something. It didn't really matter to much.I said a final good-bye to most of the family before I was pulled over by Konrad. He said that he knew some people that could help me out if I ever needed it. I didn't understand it to much, but it seemed like useful info.
I made sure I had my things as I continued towards the city in front of me. As I was walking I heard someone call my name. I turned around, and much to my surprise it was my sister, Cecelia! I could hardly believe she was able to pick me out from this crowd. I personally thought I had changed alot since she last say me when I was 7, I was 19 now and I barely looked like what I did when I was younger. She looked that same to me, but that's just my opinion. We caught up on old times as we headed towards her apartment. Apparently she lived in buildings known as Dumbbell Tenementswhich looked things called "dumbbells", whatever those are. Around the block, there was some houses known as Row Houseswhich looked just like what they were called. Also, judging from what she said, she was good friends with a women known asJane Adams. Apparently she created something known asSettlement Houses.I didn't really care about the other people, I was just happy to be in America with my sister.
-Gabriel Polowski
_
March 7th 1901
Dear Diary,
Heinrich is sleeping soundly in my arms after a long day at Ellis Island. We got off the ship at 6 a.m this morning and Heinrich was bouncing up and down at the joy of finally seeing the blue sky again. We got off the boat and started to make our way towards the bigs doors of the immigrant building. When we walked inside, we immediately had to start walking up stairs. All around us were hungry eyed Americans who had pens in their hands, and were looking to see if we were sick. I remember looking up at the sun and having a small sneeze; immediately a man came up to me and marked me with something I didn't understand. Then he handed Heinrich to Ingolf, and rushed me immediately up to a room where a doctor was waiting with a couple of other patients, including Mrs. Köenig and her 6 year old daughter. He looked at Mrs. Köenig's daughter and announced her ill with tuberculosis. Then Mrs. Köenig started weeping while the doctor and the security guard started escorting her and her daughter back to the boat. Then the doctor took my arm and rushed me forward to the place he worked. He listened to my lungs for a few seconds and then pronounced me healthy. Then, he muttled something about nativism and how all the immigrants were poisoning the perfect English, Protestant society. The security guard then whisked me away and led me over to the place where my Ingolf and Heinrich were standing. We grabbed our luggage and checked our self in at the gate. They asked us several stuff like were we anarchists (people who were against government), who is the president of the United States (Theodore Roosevelt), and do we have $25 to start ourselves off. We all answered the questions, and then they gave us cards with English on it and asked us to read it. We read it, translated it to German and then they let us pass. After they fed us, they finally announced that we were able to leave. As Heinrich, Ingolf and I walked out the door, a man came up to us and introduced him as Adalrich Weiß and explained to us (in German!) how he was a representative of Tammany Hall, an excellent political work machine, here to help us get through our time of need. He offered his service for Ingolf, explaining that he could help us find a dumbell tenement, a necessary starter-off apartment to live in. Plus he said that there was an excellent sweat shop was near by, a place where Ingolf can work as well as I, as soon as I have my baby. So this is how I wound up here tonight, in this small apartment of a dumbell tenement. I have to admit, it's not very comfortable here. There are cracks in the wall and there's an awful oder all around us, but to me, it's home. Even as my back aches, noise pollution seeps through the walls, and the oder creeps up on you, the excitement I contain now, over shadows the task at hand.
Bis dan auf Wiedersehen!
Brigitta Kohn
March 24th, 1911
Bailey Doyle
11:22 am:
We just arrived in Ellis Island, I've never hated anything as much as I hated the Cunard Steamship. But, we're getting off it now, about to get inside and "go through the process of becoming a citizen" (Pa's words). Hopefully it won't take too long.
6:00 pm:
Seriously? Seriously?! That is my welcome to America? Ellis Island was the worst thing ever. When we got off the ship, they pinned numbers on our clothes and told us to wait in line. While we were waiting for the hundreds of people ahead of us, we first on the stairs got checked for health by officials, and some people (not my family) we saw were marked with blue chalk. Throughout the day, we were asked questions - like if we were anarchists, if we had twenty five dollars, and then questions that you could tell only educated people could answer. Mum, Pa and I answered them fine, but the people who couldn't were marked with colored chalk. If you were marked with chalk, that meant bad news, and you were taken out of the line. No more America for you.
Immigrants told us scary stories about things like the Chinese Exclusion Act, racism, and horrible conditions in America. Weren't we trying to get away from those things? Today i saw families torn apart, grown men crying, I even had to see a birth of a baby by a pregnant woman. It took six hours, SIX hours for everyone to get through. That was horrible. Never again.
We'll be living in New York City, apparently it's cheaper there and easier to get jobs. I really hope so, I would love it if we left Bangor for a good reason. I'm ready for America!
Entry 2
Last week we arrived at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Everybody was happy to be off the boat and in America. We had to go through a series of tests to be accepted into America. The men at the island asked if we had 25 dollars. They also checked everyone for disease, and if they suspected you, they put a letter on you so you would get closely inspected. We had to take a literacy test and were asked if we were anarchists. Supposedly a person who wanted disorder and no government killed a president. We passed all of the tests, so we were let into the country. We had already decided to stay in New York before we left Russia because it was close to the port and there were a lot of opportunities. While we were walking off, a man came up to us. He introduced himself as Joe Callan. He said he would help us get the things we needed. First he took us to an ethnic neighborhood. It is an area where there are other Jewish people, and we can be more comfortable doing our customs. In these neighborhoods, he took us to a dumbbell tenement. He said we would have to rent a room with a lot of other people and that some of the tenements were dangerous, but we should be fine. He told us to go to settlement houses, where volunteers would teach us English and skills for working. Before he left, he told us that it was Boss Tweed who was responsible for the help, and that we should vote for him on election day. I don't like our tenement very much because it is so unsanitary, but it is all we can afford right now. I hope we will eventually move into a row house. Even though they aren't the safest, they have more space for us to live in. David went to a settlement house and learned a lot in just one day, so I really want to go to one.-Vladimir Putin
Dear Journal,
Today is the tenth of June, 1911. I'm in America now, but when I first arrived, I was amazed. Anne and I were in our cabin playing with Aiden when we heard joyous screaming and "whoooo"ing. We thought it had something to do with a disease leaving someone, or someone was married. But when we went up onto the deck to look at what was happening, there was a misty fog. As we traveled right into the fog, a tall figure came into sight. the figure looked more and more like a woman. Then suddenly, I recognized who this woman was and why she was in the middle of the water. She was the Statue of Liberty. She was the final signal of our arriving in America. I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. When she was standing as tall and beautiful as ever. Anne and I were both in shock at how amazing it was to finally arrive in America.
The process of getting onto Ellis Island was really different than I imagined. When we got off the ship, it was very crowded because many other ships had docked the same time we did. First they separated the men and women. I was very nervous because the Duffy family were the only people I knew. I didnt know if I would be seperated from them. It took a while to be accepted into America. We had to go through a series of tests. There was really big staircase that we had to travel up. I made sure i stayed with Anne the whole time. We guessed that we passed the medical examination because a lady that was behind us was coughing really hard and someone put a large "X" on her shoulder. After we arrived at the top of the stairs, we had to take a legal examination. This man asked my name and I told him, and I saw him right it down. He also asked me what my occupation was, and how much money I had (he asked if I had $25 on me), and if I have ever committed a crime. While Anne and I waited to take the literacy tests, this lady started talking to us. She was saying that her husband was already in America and all the things he's told her about America. She warned us that her husband said to stay clear of Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring. She said that we will be much better off if we stay away from that type of organization. We finally got through to the literacy test, they made sure we could read and sing our names. Anne and and her mom finally met up with her dad and brother. We were finally accepted into America. I was scared and excited at this moment. I was thinking, "will I stay with Anne and her family, or is this the end of our friendship?" Anne told me that her parents decided to stay in New York because they didn't want to waste anymore time transporting to another state. I was so scared to be on my own, but the Duffys assured me that I could live with them. I was so grateful, so I offered to help them pay rent. Since we were going to live in row houses instead of dumbbell tenements, it will cost more for a family of five to live there. I offered, but they refused, they said I'm as much of a child to them as Anne or Aiden. But I was determined to help pay somehow.
-Isolde Caldwell
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The first thing I saw of America was the Statue of Liberty, she was supposed to be a good sign of hope, but she scared me. When we finally got off the boat the feel of dry land was completely foreign to me. There were many other immigrants in Ellis Island.
We walked up a long stair case and we had to wait to have another medical exam. Right before his exam, Allen had a coughing fit; I was so scared that he wouldn't be allowed to become an American. Right before the doctor examined him he was able to catch his breath and stop coughing, but I was still worried he wouldn’t be allowed to come, luckily I was just over reacting and the doctor said he was fine. Although the doctors said that my family was fine, I saw many people being carted off to a holding area when the doctors said that they weren’t okay. To become Americans we also had to go through a mental test.
The people at Ellis Island checked all of our documents and made sure that we had our 25 dollars. My family was questioned and we were even asked if we were anarchists. Everyone in my family could read enough to pass the reading test, but I felt badly for those who couldn’t read and got turned away.
We were on Ellis Island for 2 days. We were served noodles with tomato sauce and bread. I was thankful it was better than the food that was served on the boat. Patrick had been living in New York City and that was where we were going to live too, because we had heard the best place to get a job was in the city. We finally became citizens and we all got certificates that said that we were American, but I still felt Irish.
Bridget Ann Liston
June 10, 1911
Today we finally got off the boat at Ellis Island. The island was very crowded and the process it took to enter America took very long. While we were waiting, we talked to a lady whose husband was already in America. She said that her husband told her about Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring. She told us that at first, it seems like they will help you get adjusted to life in America very easily but they slowly start to get control of your role in politics and you can't get out. Once we finally started the processing into America, they split the men from the women and children. We only hopped that we would be able to find each other again. We all avoided getting sick on the ship so we passed the medical inspection without a problem. We avoided being marked by an "X" so none of us had to go through any of the mental inspections. Once we came to the end of the Registry Room, we had to go through a legal examination. They asked us questions like what our names are, what our occupation is, how much money we have and if we had ever committed a crime. After this examination, we had to take a literacy test, and then show that we had $25 dollars and then we were free to go. It took a while, but once we were done with all of our tests, we found father and are now leaving the island. We have decided that, for now, we will be staying in New York City because we do not want to spend any more time on some other type of transportation. It will just be easy to stay here.
-Anne Duffy
We’ve been living here for two weeks now. We’re living in a dumbbell tenements with many other people. My father and brother have been living here since they first arrived. My mother hates it. She told my father he needs to get us into one of the row houses in an ethnic neighborhood. She wants to be in a neighborhood she can feel comfortable in. She even said she was happier when we first arrived. When we got to the stairs people were already beginning to look at us as if judging us. My father told us it was for health inspections, so my mother told my little brother to look healthy and happy. He was neither. Once at the top of the steps we were asked questions like if we were anarchists. My brother told us to say no, because it was someone that wanted anarchy, and they wouldn’t let any anarchist in the country due to the death of a president. What is anarchy? My brother coughed while reading for his intelligence examination, so he was marked with a little white X. With that X my mother had to go with him for further health inspections and I was left to sit and wait for the two. Looking around I noticed there were many, many different people. It almost reminded me of a pot. With many things in it, all melting together. Oh, I’m understanding the term my brother told me many americans called America : melting pot. I had to sit and wait for a very long time. It felt like a lifetime, it felt longer than the trip itself. We were so close to America and my father, but we were stuck inside. I was fearful we’d have to be put on another ship. I wouldn’t mind going home, but I wasted all that time to come here. I feel I should at least get a small glimpse of what America is. Plus, I would not enjoy being stuck on another boat with those bad things for another two weeks. I need a break from the horrible. I couldn’t wait to see my father and my brother, but I was told I must. It seems like my younger brother is always getting into troubles of some sort. After waiting for so long, my brother and mother finally came and we were ready to walk out into America. My father was waiting for us! It was so exciting to see him! Now, we’re all living together again, with some extras. Another argument about the living arrangement is about to erupt. I must stop my writing. Yeva
Upon arrival at Ellis Island in New York City, the steerage passengers on the "zwishendeck" were forced to wait for an unsinnig crazy length of time. Overall my screening lasted about 5 hours. The observers gave me a quick medical examination, upon finding that I was healthy they sent me further on in the process. I was asked to prove I wasn't verzögert, imagine, they thought I was mentally defictiant. Well I passed their puzzle and arithmetic tests. I grew quite worried when they were doing a background check on my past in Hamburg. Luckily no one had reported me as my alcoholic self. They also asked me if I was an anarchist. I wasn't sure how to answer this question, but when I saw them drag a befürworter der anarchie back to the ship, I was convinced that no, was the answer. I was asked where I was going to settle, when I told them I was unsure, they told me about many housing facilities. The screeners suggested I stay in a German ethnic neighborhood, or a row house. I was quick to decide I wanted to stay in the presence of Americans so I felt that a row house would be better for me. I soon found out that if I was going to settle in Ney York like I wished to, that I would have to stay in a dumbell tenement. The dumbell tenements were much cheaper then the row houses. A dumbell tenement was also much cheaper then moving to an outlying area. April 11 1910
Carol Lorenzini
We are finally in America, but it is not as happy an occasion as I would have hoped. The island of Tears is most certainly the correct name for Ellis Island. Processing was one of the most stressful and frightening things that I have ever been through. Once we got off of the boat everyone was led toward the processing center. As Rosalia and I walked up a small flight of stairs toward the officials who would decide our fate I noticed a line of men on either side of the stairway just... staring...
`Suddenly a women in front of us with three young children coughed. Two officials came from either side of the stairs and tapped her roughly on the shoulder. She looked fearfully at them and and one of them said in harsh, cold English "Come with us." She hesitated, then complied bringing her three young children with her.
I was sure that they taken her because she had coughed, and I wished to lean down towards little Rosalia and warn her against the action. However fear of being overheard stopped me.
"Where did she go mama?" Rosalia asked. I looked down at my little girl, so small and new to this world and a thought suddenly hit me. What if something happened to me or Emolio, my husband, and she was forced into child labor at this young age. I had heard stories of such things happening... But what nonsense! Her father and I are healthy and she will not have to work for a while... maybe we could even get her into school...
" They just needed to ask her some questions darling." I replied. This may have been true, I wasn't really sure. Rosalia took my word for it.
As we got closer to our destination in line, I checked my pockets to make sure I had all of the necessary paperwork to get through. I had both of our Passports and all of the documentation I thought I needed, but I as still nervous.
It was our turn for processing now.
" I need your Documentation and name." said a man shortly in English.
I took my documents out of my bag and looked up at the man who would either be my salvation, or executioner. I handed him my papers and said as clearly as I could in English, " My name is Carol Lorenzini and this is my Daughter Rosalia. He nodded uncaring,and wrote down the information given. Then he looked carefully at our passports... I held my breath.
He closed the passports and handed it back to me. " Are you an anarchist Mrs. Lorzini? I ignored the mispronunciation of my name and said "no." He asked me many other questions in the short span of time that felt like an hour, and many I had a hard time answering because I wasn't exactly sure what he was saying. He inquired about my health, Rosalia's health, whether or not Rosalia could speak English, if we could work, if we had family... He had a doctor examine us to make sure we were healthy, and finally he asked me to show him 20$ Rather than question this I immediately took it out and showed it to him, hoping to god that he wouldn't take it. He didn't, but said " welcome to America." I was ecstatic! We had finally made it, we were here, I would get to see my husband again. Now all that was left to do was to find a house, although I knew it wouldn't be an excellent one. I had never seen a dumbbell tenement or a row house, but we were still here! This happiness only lasted until we arrived at the kissing gate... I could not find my husband. I still cannot find him, and I have no time to search.
Emigrants arriving at Ellis Island, 1903
_
Day 15
We arrived at Ellis. After getting my stuff together I started to get off the boat. There was a long line and doctors checking every part of everyone. If they assumed something to be wrong with a person they would be marked and sent to the doctors. I got through just fine. Then I got off the ship to another building where they would ask questions and ask for our passports. If you were an anarchist they would send you back home. I have to end up sleeping on the streets tonight. Tomorrow I will start searching for the new way to live my life. People have also been moving in from the country to the city. They are calling this urbanization; it makes good sense to me, because in the city, you wouldn’t have to pay for as many things. I’m thinking it would be better for me to stay in row houses which are a group of buildings connected together. Although I am on the streets I am happy to be in America
Fineas
Day 16
I have moved into a row house, but still have not found a job, many factories are part taking in child labor making it harder for jobs because these children and willing to work for less. But New York is a big city with many opportunities so it should not be too hard of a task. I am tired, tomorrow will be a big day.
Fineas
_ February 5th, 1893
I’ve been on Ellis Island for 2 days now. The island had a huge swell of immigrants as 3 ships came in yesterday, so it’s taking quite some time to process all of us. I cannot wait to enter America, but I’m frightened at the same time. When I arrived, I was pushed with a huge crowd up path with men marking people’s backs with chalk. I saw the woman walking with her her seven children next to me get marked, but I could not tell with what. I was very confused and didn’t know what the marks meant, and when I didn’t get one I was worried. I later found out these marks were for people who might have diseases that could get them sent all the way back home, you could imagine my relief when I found out that the chalk marks were really a bad thing. My inspection took a few hours. I being by myself, I had to go through a huge ordeal, and I think at least 7 different men checked my birth certificate. During the beginning of my inspection, I saw a poor Russian woman getting drug away by the inspectors, and she was screaming “No! No! You can’t send me back home!” I could see a man, likely her husband sitting very distressed and upset on a bench with two small babies, and a little toddler. I looked confused at the guard and he told me that woman had Tuberculosis, and was not permitted to enter America; but her husband and three kids were. By that point I was very scared. I remembered a day when I coughed on the boat quite a bit, and couldn’t imagine getting sent all the way back home on that foul wretched boat. Soon after that, I was sent to the health inspection. It was very fast, to my surprise. The men looked me over very quickly, asked my name, and then sent me on. My mother had sent me on with 25 dollars before I left, which I was against due to the little amount of money my parents had, but she said I’ll need it, and at my net inspection I understood why. A man asked if I had 25 dollars, to ensure I wouldn’t become a bum on the streets of New York, where I planned to stay. I showed him my money, expecting him to take it, but he just looked at it and sent me on. Throughout the day I had to answer twenty more or so questions about myself, including if I was an anarchist. I didn’t even know what that was, but I recalled my mother telling me before I got on board the boat very briefly if asked that question to answer no. I didn’t have time to ask her why. My inspection was complete, and I was sent to some bunks, being told I’d be allowed over to America soon. I lost Elizabeth sometime after we got off the boat. Her and her family was being brought here and there for inspection and I was being brought other places, and I haven’t seen her since. I’ve been trying to decide what I’m going to do when I arrive in New York. New York is really the only American city I’ve heard of, and I heard it has a lot of jobs available, so I’m choosing to stay there. My neighbor, Julia, who had heard from her husband who is here in America already looking for jobs, educated me about where to live. She said there were ethnic neighborhoods, where I would be with many other Italians, and there was also Dumbbell Tenements. Her husband had said both were equally terrible, describing the tenements as overcrowded, foul smelling, and people were throwing trash out the window. I’m already not looking forward to living spaces in America, they sound just like the boat. Well I just got word that it’s time to head into New York, I’m so excited!
Olivia Bruce
------------------- February 7th, 1893
We arrived at Ellis Island four days ago. Seeing that large women statue got my mother all excited, she says it’s called the Statue of Liberty. I don’t know why it’s there though. When we arrived at Ellis Island we had to get off the ship and walk up these extremely large set of stairs. And while everyone is walking up there are people on the sides marking xs on you. I didn’t get one, and no one else in my family did either. But my mother said it was for if they thought you were sick they would put an X on you can check you. We had to get medical exams anyway though, just to make sure. Everyone in my family was clean. We also had to go through these legal inspections. We had to take a literally test to make sure we could read and write some English. I heard them ask my mother if she had 25 dollars and asked her if she was an anarchist. They asked me to, and since I didn’t know that that was I just shook my head no. My mother and father said we were just going to stay in New York and live in an ethnic neighborhood with other Italian people who had immigrated and decided to stay in New York. She said it was just easier money wise and she just didn’t have the strength to travel anywhere else. When we met up with father we were all so happy to see him. My mother had all sorts of questions for him. He told us how he started off living in a dumbbell tenement with other men who were waiting for the rest of their family members to come over. He also said he had some troubles starting off at first and then he went to a settlement house and they taught him all the skills he needed to find a job and make a living for his family; he told me that at night when I say my prayers I should thank Jane Adams. I asked him who that was and he said she was the one who started all the settlement houses which helped him pick him off his feet. He drove us to our new home, there were in long rows. They were called row houses. The area was disgusting. There was trash and sewage all over the place. But I guess it’s better than nothing and I’m just happy to have a roof over our heads.
-Elizabeth H
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March 22nd, 1906
We reached Ellis Island today. Toliv is asleep in my arms and I am waiting in line to get my documents checked. I passed the physical exam, thank the lord. I have heard many people talking about where they are going to live. Row houses and settlement houses are popular among my fellow immigrants. Many families around me have many children. I believe those children will work to make money for their families. Child labor is a normal thing in Russia as well, but I want my son to be able to get an education and not have to work until he is an adult. Many people have also told me about Tammanyhall and something called the Tweed Ring. Tammany Hall helps immigrants, they say. I hope I am helped out by these people. A woman told me about her sister who moved to America and got a kickback from Tammany Hall, as long as she voted for them. It seemed like a good deal to me. I also found out a woman named Jane Adams started the settlement houses.
My documents passed. They asked if I was an anarchist, which I am not. I saw some people getting turned back toward the boats. I felt sorry for them, but I am happy to finally be in America.
Nadia Alekseev October 17, 1907
I made it to the Americas today! We got off at Ellis Island with hundreds of other people. It really smells from everyone being on the ship for what seems like forever, but is really more like three weeks. They made us walk up a whole bunch of stairs first thing and it felt good to finally get to stretch my legs. I'm worried about Sis, she's still weak from all that time being sick on the ship. I see some tough looking people staring at everyone with chalk in the hands and walking up to random people and draw on their clothes. I squish real close to Sis and hope they don't notice her when I finally figured out they're marking the people that look sick and tired. We are luck and no one notices when we walk past. We are now in a giant hall with more people than I have ever seen in my life. After waiting in line for what seemed like forever they finally got to us. They asked Mama, me and Sis, lots of questions like if we were anarchists, I didn’t know what an anarchist was though and I said no. I asked Mama later and she said they were people that didn't believe in a government and that didn't make sense to me. How could you not have a government to lead you? Then they asked us to do some stuff like draw a diamond on some paper then we were in the city of Manhattan. This is where Papa was and he met us at what people called the "kissing post" when we were actually leaving Ellis Island. I was so happy to leave and run into Papas arms. He seemed tired and dirty but still himself. He told us of this row house we were going to move into with my cousins and their parents in an Irish ethnic neighborhood. I soon found out a row house was this tiny little house next to a whole bunch of other ones that looked just like it. The "ethnic neighborhood" only had a whole bunch of other Irish and it reminded me of home a lot, only a lot more cramped and dirty. Papa tells me that tomorrow we would have to go off and work at a factory. Other people call it child labor and it sounds scary and I'm glad me and Sis are doing it together so at least we won't be alone. I must go and help get settled in the room I'm sharing with Sis and my cousins.
Mary Kearney
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December 23, 1892
I've been in America for 21 days now. The trip was well worth it. I am now writing from my dumbbell tenement, which I may say is much better than that dark, musty ship, but far from lavish. People dump their trash out of the windows, there is a lot of pollution from the factories, and the water is not very good. Ellis Island was quite the experience. There were hundreds of people from all over Europe; I felt so small and insignificant. Since I wasn't completely sure of where I needed to go, I tried to follow the crowd the best I could. Right when I got off the ship, a man tagged a number to my shirt. Everyone was getting tagged, so I figured it wasn't a bad thing that I got a tag. There were immigration workers pointing us in the direction that we needed to go. We made our way up the steep steps and were met by a whole crowd of doctors in white jackets. They were marking people with chalk, but I wasn't really sure why. I overheard someone saying that the sick people had to go through a different inspection. If that was the case, I was glad that I hadn't caught an illness on the trip over. Then I got in line to be inspected by the legal inspectors. While I was in line, I overheard a couple of men talking about the American immigration officials not allowing Chinese people into Angel Island in San Francisco due to the Chinese Exclusion Act. I had no way of knowing if this was true or not, but either way, at that moment I was glad I was French. When I got to the front of the line, a man asked me some questions about my legal documents, my intelligence, my destination, if I had twenty-five dollars, and whether or not I was an anarchist. After that lengthy questioning was over, I made my way down the "Stairs of Separation." The officials wouldn't let me go through because I was a single woman. They told me I needed to wait for my relatives, but when I explained to them my story they let me go with another family that overheard me talking to the official and who offered to take me in. I graciously accepted their offer. The young family happened to be French as well; there was Bernard and Camille, and their two young boys Tristan and Thierry. They were so generous and offered to let me live with them in a small, French ethnic neighborhood. Bernard explained me that they were not wealthy enough to afford a row house, so we would be living in a small dumbbell tenement. I was not about to complain about my accommodations in New York. Just hours earlier, I had no idea where I was going to live, but Bernard and Camille solved that problem. As we settled in, Camille told me that three days a week she would be going to a settlement house. She told me that it would probably be a good idea for me to go along with her. In line at Ellis Island I had heard about these settlement houses, where people learn English, practice job skills, and meet other immigrants, especially Hull House in Chicago founded by Jane Addams, so I figured they must be pretty nice places to go if they were being so highly talked about. I tried to help out around the tenement as best I could, cleaning, washing the laundry, and taking care of the young boys. I know I need to repay the family somehow, so my next order of business is to get a job. I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but I'll figure it out soon. All I know is that right now my stomach is begging me for some food. I'm going to get some coffee and biscuits.
Fifi Miette Laroque
_-
Dear Journal,August 6, 1912 Today I arrived at Ellis Island. The entire trip took around a week and a half. When I arrived and was walking up the stairs there were many people in white and they had chalk. They were walking around looking at people which I thought was a medical exam. It took 45 minutes for me to get checked out by them. They checked my mouth and looked into my eyes to make sure I was healthy. After I went through the medical exam, I met a man who checked my passport and he asked me if I was a anarchist, but I said no because I believe a government keeps people organized. After I had my passport checked I went through another hallway where everyone was writing stuff down. I soon figured out that it was a test to see whether I could read or not. After waiting in line I got my test and then a translator that speaked norweigan came over and made sure that i could read in norweigan and asked if I could speak any english which I cant besides a couple of words. The translator also asked me if I was going to stay in New York and I told him about how I was going to stay in a row house with my friend Irvan. He told me that the area where the house was is a ethnic neighborhood which I thought was nice. He told me goodluck and I was on my way to the next checkup. The next checkup went very quickly because all they did was check to see if I had 25 dollars which I did so I was finally done with Ellis Island. When I finally got my first real look at New York i was fascinated with the city. After a quick glance I was on my way to a settlement house to get some information about this town.
Arwed Eriksson
------ March 26, 1893
It has been along day. We got to America early this morning, and now it is almost the next day. We have been going through, what mom called the immigration inspection. She said we are immigrants, people who move into a new country. She called America the melting pot, because there were so many of us immigrants. I don't know if I like being called an immigrant, but that is what I am and I can't change that. We were the next to last ones to get off the boat because we were at the bottom of the ship. The animals had to wait for us to get off before they could. When we were getting of the ship a man was standing on a box yelling, "Welcome to Ellis Island. Line up here to start your immigration process!". Behind the man there was the biggest set of stairs I have ever seen! There were three sections that seemed to stretch to eternity. I didn't think I would be able to make it, but I was so excited to see what was on the other side, that I started sprinting up them. I didn't make it very far. Annemarie tried to follow me, but she couldn't keep up. By the time mom and Annemarie made it to the top I was still catching my breath. In front of us was person after person, lined up with all their possessions. Once we got to the front of the line a man in a white coat came over and looked us all up and down, moved us around, made sure we were in one piece I guess. Mom said they were the doctors who checked for diseases so people wouldn't bring new diseases into the new country. Then mom had to fill out this paper with lots of questions. She read a few out loud. "Are you an anarchist?" she said. I asked her what in the world that was and she said it was someone who believed people didn't need a government to keep them organized. She had to answer a whole bunch of questions about who she was, who she was married to, what job she had had. When we were finally done going through all the men with nice jackets, we went outside to what was called "The Kissing Post". Then I saw daddy! I ran up to him and hugged him tight as he picked me up. It was so good to see him. When mommy got there they kissed the longest I have ever seen them kiss. Around the kissing post there were people who didn't like us and were yelling at us saying we didn't belong there. Mom said it was nativism, people who were against immigrants and just not to mind them, because they didn't matter. Someone from Tammany Hall came up to us and offered us housing, and jobs. We told them we already had a place to live but we needed jobs. So, Robert was his name, said he would help mom and I get a job. I didn't know I needed a job and mom said it wasn't right to have a 13 year old work, but Robert said that many children worked. Child labor was common and we needed the money. Daddy took us home. He took us to what is called a dumbbell tenement in New York City. I thought that sounded really funny. Who would want to live in a dumbbell. It had one window and we had to share a bathroom with a whole bunch of people. We had a kitchen and two rooms. Annemarie and I would have to share a bed, but it was better than having to share an area on the floor like our old home. I am going to go to bed now. It has been exhausting getting to America. I am glad I am finally here.-Anneliese Fuessel
_ Entry 1: June, 1 1897 Dear Journal,
It is bright and sunny out as we arrive at Ellis Island. As I make my way to the top of the ship I find my wife and son waiting for me near the exit of the boat. On the journey here they kept the men separate from the women and children because of disease. We exited the boat hand in hand. The officials from Ellis Island lead us to an indoor area where many other Italians were located. We were standing around for about 15 minutes when someone called “Mantle!” and motioned for us to come over. They sat us down and handed me and Rosalie a test, it was written in English but they had a translator for us. Some of the questions on the test were; were we anarchists, why did we come to America, our religious preference and some others. After we submitted our test we went into another room with doctors and medicine. Each of us was examined. Once we were finished, we went into a final room and waited about 2 hours. Eventually we went up to the counter and were approved to enter America. They asked me at the counter if I had a preference of where I wanted to live. They showed me pictures of dumbbell tenements, row houses, and settlement houses in certain ethnic neighborhoods. Rosalie and I chose a nice row house out in the New York country side; due to urbanization we didn’t want to live in the big city.
-Mickey Mantle
October 10th, 1910
I haven't written in awhile. My mother and I have been kept very busy with work around the apartment: cleaning, cooking, and watching the boys. My father's job has kept him extremely busy also. Speaking of his job, apparently he manages and watches over the people, usually women, who make and sew shirtwaists at the factory. I don't really know why he makes as much money as he does for observing the production of a clothing item, but if it keeps us in our apartment, I'm not going to complain.
I'm so glad we aren't on that ship anymore. The trip was completely horrible. Joseph's seasickness never went away; he puked at least once every day. Henry and John continued their fighting, and they both caught a cold about a week after we left Ireland. Thankfully when we entered port at Ellis Island, their colds had subsided. I'm not entirely sure what would have happened had they not, but I did see a woman who received a "T" stamp on her medical card get sent back down the many stairs that lead from the dock to dry land. Her children were sent somewhere else entirely, and the woman was crying very hard and screaming a lot. I felt bad for her, but I was so glad no one in my family was still sick.
However, the health checks were not the only thing about immigration that worried me. We also had to take a literacy test, and I wasn't sure I would pass it. Obviously I did, since I am here in New York City, but it was still scary. One of the questions on the test was "Are you an anarchist?". I thought it was a pretty absurd question, but it was an easy point towards passing the test. There were many different people at the port, and by that I mean many different ethnicities. It was comforting to see we weren't the only ones foreign to the country, even if the feeling only lasted a moment. At least we would know we weren't the only family in America who felt out of place. My father later told me places called "ethnic neighborhoods" helped ease the feeling of loneliness for other immigrants. Since we are from Ireland, we didn't really need to settle in an ethnic neighborhood. New York City is full of them though. The diversity here was one of the reasons my father chose this city as our new home. Not to mention it was easier than spending the little money we have to move somewhere else. I have to stop writing now. Mother asked for help in the kitchen. I will try to write again soon.
Bridget O'Reilly
American Immigrant wiki- Journal 2 We arrived at Ellis Island after our eleven day journey. As we were loading off the SS Neckar we saw so many other immigrants waiting for a new start. Emilio and I got to walking and got ahead of the crowd so we could get done easier. We had no idea what to expect when we walked in. There was a long flight of stairs that we had to walk up. People were getting marked on with white chalk and their kids were getting separated from them. I felt horrible for the parents. We past the stairs test so we went in to a room with a bunch of tests. First they asked Emilio for his passport and I frantically had to search my pockets until I remembered it was in my boxers for safe keeping. Next they asked us if we had $25, of course Emilio and I had money, we were the best counterfeiters in the world! The last test they put us through were literacy tests that asked us about our past life and America. One of the questions was if I was an anarchist. If I was an anarchist would I say I was? I don’t this so, Emilio said the same thing, we thought it was a silly question… As the day went on, we passed all of our tests and were now free to the city of New York! We decided that we were going to stay in New York since there were many job opportunities, and we didn’t know where else to go. Antonio and Lia thankfully got the note we sent them before we left saying to meet us by on the dock from Ellis Island. They took us to their settlement house which seemed to provide many services that helped immigrants and themselves out. They lived by an ethnic neighborhood which kind of scared me because there were the same people throughout the neighborhood. Lia and Antonio were talking about Jane Adams and how she helped immigrants and created the Hull House. Emilio and I decided we should move their and settle in and maybe learn a few things while we live there. We moved the next day and it was by a whole row of Row Houses which seemed to be very crowded and unsafe. Emilio and I got unpacked and got to talking. We realized that we made a good decision moving to New York, we feel safe without the mafia under our noses.
-Eustachio Russo
Entry 2 After a long and smelly trip across the sea, we finally landed at an island that I learned was named Ellis Island. It was a very intimidating place to be. The buildings looked like nothing I had ever seen before. The first thing you saw was a very large staircase with lots of scary looking men with chalk. I was incredibly nervous walking up those stairs. There were several people around me that were pulled aside and marked with the chalk but they didn’t seem to take notice of me as I walked up. Once at the top I was asked to fill out some forms and there was a very strange question on one of them. It asked me if I was an anarchist because apparently their president was shot by one. I was then tested to see if I could read English and then I was inspected by some man in a white coat. After that, I was asked if I had 25 dollars one my person and it only reminded me of how bad I felt to have stolen that money. When I was done with all of that I was approached by a very nice man who claimed to be from Tammany Hall but heck if I knew what that was. He asked me where I was from and if I had any place to stay yet. I had no idea where I was going to stay so I was hoping there were other Welsh that I could stay with. He said that there were many ethnic neighborhoods in New York but he didn’t know of a Welsh one. He did, however, know of a place in Cattaraugus County called Freedom city where he knew other Welsh lived. He told me how to get there and once I arrived, it was very nice to see people from my country. Yorath Gibbs
June 21, 1893We Finally reached America. The water is to shallow for the boat to touch the main land; we have to wait for a smaller boat to come and ferry everyone across to Ellis Island. I am very nervous. On the island a number of test are given. They will determine weather we are allowed to enter the United States or not. Unfortunately, so many people want to enter the U.S. that the ferries are backed up. We have to wait a few more days until we can set foot on dry land. -EmmaJune 27, 1893While we were waiting, Kassandra came down sick. she had a high fever and couldn't stop coughing. By the time it was our turn to be ferried across, Kassandra was so weak she could hardly stand. When we reached the island some men came and looked her over. Before they left, one of the men pulled out a piece of chalk and put a mark on her coat. We were both so scarred. On the boat we heard people say that if you were marked it meant you were sick and would be sent back from wherever you came from. I didn't want Kassandra to be taken from me. In a long line, all the immigrants slowly made their way up the steps to the interrogation room. When we reached the top of the stairs, men came and took Kassandra away. I cried as she left. I doubt I will ever see her again. The children and I were quickly shuffled into a crowded room. A doctor came and checked all of us to make sure none of us had any sort of sickness. When he finished a young woman came and gave us many tests. She asked all of us to read a sentence, count backwards from 10, and do a math problem. Thankfully all five of us passed the test. When the questions were done, we had to give our name, occupation, and destination to a man who wrote all of it down on a legal document. This meant that we were now citizens of the United States. As we walked out of that room, i have never felt more relieved or happy in all my life. - Emma June 28, 1893I spent the 25 dollars I had on train tickets to get us to Chicago. I heard that Chicago was made up with a number of different ethnic neighborhoods but that south Chicago was mostly Germans. i believe that my family will feel more comfortable if they are living around their own kind of people.
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It has been months since I have last entered something in this journal. When we first got off the boat, we found ourselves in a place called Ellis Island, where they checked our papers and health. We passed! It was just basic English literacy tests, and they also asked if we had 25 dollars. We showed them just that, and kept the rest of our newly acquired money hidden. They also asked us if we were anarchists—one of the people next to us said yes, and they were deported back to Italy! It was an incredible relief to get off the boat and see fresh air—and lady liberty, such a splendid sight! I have completely turned my back on the past, and refuse to remember any details of it; I am moving on. When we came in after that, we headed to a place called Mulberry Street in New York, where we would settle in with countless other Italians. They call it an ethnic neighborhood, but sometimes I think that makes it sound like a bad thing. It has been nice to have some people who spoke our language around us! We live in a “dumbbell tenement” but have considered moving into a settlement house. We want to conserve as much money as possible, and try to fit in with the other immigrants.
Since then, I have been searching for a job! I haven’t found one yet, but may make clothing again like in Italy. I have also met a man, by the name of Antonio. We met on the ship, and became fast friends, but now it has turned into something more than that! He proposed last week and we are to be wed next month! He is 25, and gorgeous. Some of the Americans look down on the fact he is ten years older than I, but I ignore them.
As for the rest of my family, I am concerned with Maria. She has been working at a Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where she is sewing and mass producing parts for a shirt. I honestly think she could find better work because the factory is known for having poor safety regulations and she works with little children! Some of them are 11 and 12, and she is only 13 herself! It makes me sick to know that this country has no child labor laws. I’m trying to convince her to help me make clothes, and sell them out of our house. Mario would probably benefit from doing that too, considering his mental state. Plus, there are no clothing shops in our ethnic neighborhood, so we would have good business.
I shall write soon with more news,
Marcella DeLuca
When I arrived at Ellis Island, I was overwhelmed with excitement. One man was so excited he screamed until his face turned purple, then he started having a coughing fit, and a couple people from the island dressed in white suits rushed over to him, marked him with chalk, and took him away. I didn't understand why, I thought maybe since he was so excited he was getting special treatment. The Americans must be all about excitement. Although as I kept going through the lines I continuously saw people coughing and being chalked and taken off of the boat, and thats when i realized if someone was marked it meant they were sick. This made me very cautious of who I stood by, because I did not want to become sick and kept out of America. I felt sorry for the sick people, they came so far, and to be taken away at the last moment must have been heart breaking. There was nothing I could do for these people, so I just kept walking through the lines. When I made it to the front of the first line, they asked me for my passport, but I couldn't find it! I was so scared, but luckily the man that was beaten up in the fight, Fineas I believe his name is, sprinted up to me yelling. He came to me out of breath and very tired looking with my passport! I was so thankful. I immediately let him cut me in line, we introduced each other, and I thanked him profusely for bringing me my passport. After I made it through the first line and to the front of the second line, the people in white coats checked me to make sure I wasn't sick. They checked me all over, even my eyes! I passed the test, and moved onto the next station, where they tested everyone's intelligence. My test was not to hard, and I knew all of the answers, like telling them I wasn't an anarchist. The man next to me was having a little bit of a harder time, but I think he ended up passing, because I saw him later on in the lines. When I reached the front of the final line, the person at the desk asked me for my name and other information. Once I gave it to him and showed him my $25, he gave me a piece of paper, and allowed me into America. America was amazing, but wasn't fully what I expected. Once I accomplished getting through the lines, Fineas, accompanied by another man came up and talked to me. Fineas intorduced us to eachother, and I learned that the man was part of the Tweed Ring, which i guess was bad but the man seemed nice and generous. He offered me a place to stay in a Rowhouse, but I politely refused and told him I was going to Minnesota to farm. He stopped me before I could do anything more, and informed me of everything he could do for me. His offers were so helpful and great I couldn't leave, so I decided to stay in New York until I need to leave and get my farm life started in Minnesota. After all that is what I came to America to do.
-Jorgen Jergenson
January 27, 1901 We finally arrived at Ellis Island. We had to go through many health inspections today to make sure we weren't sick. We also had to take literary tests and read a card, but this wasn't too difficult. Some officials checked to make sure we had our papers and $25 each. We had just enough money to make it in. Cecilio coughed once and was marked with chalk. He had to have a more thorough health inspection, and I thought he was going to be sent back to Italy. There seems to be a lot of tension here at Ellis Island. Families here come much bigger than ours. I saw a man and woman walking with twelve children. Most of the children were too young to care about the new scenery but the older ones had looks of fear on their faces. Should I be scared too? America has to be better than Italy, right? What did those older kids know that I didn't? Some of the officials here act like they don't want us here. An older man said the Americans don't all like us coming to their land. The old man called those people who didn't want us nativists. I don't feel very welcome in this new land, but I don't want to ask Angelo how he feels in case I scare him. We are headed to New York City soon because we heard there are a lot of job opportunities. I'm not sure where we'll stay yet. A lady was talking about some housing called the dumbbell tenements, settlement houses, and row houses. I'd prefer not the live in the unsafe dumbbell tenements, but I'll take what I can get. I'm scared of this new land and losing all of my culture, but a lady I met said that she is going to an ethnic neighborhood so she doesn't have to give up her culture. That sounds nice but the whole point of leaving was to have a better life. Not the same life in a different place. We'll be heading to the city soon. I can't wait to see the rest of America.
Mia Bianchi
November 26, 1893
today we finally reached america we arrived at a place called Ellis Island. I wasn't so sure about America at first i heard there was a lot of child labor . Ellis Island was a crowded place as well as the boat which didn't make me to happy because i was hoping for a less crowded environment when i got of the boat. On the boat ride over it smelt very bad no one had bathed in almost three weeks. We really lucked out coming in cause we needed twenty five dollars to enter America but we only had twenty three. After a while of thinking how to get two more dollars i spotted some money on the ground at a guys feet. I made the dash it was a bit scary this was one big guy so i ran up to him got the money from below his feet and ran fast as i could to my family. i had just got three dollars enough to get us into America. So we all started up the stairs to go to the gate to officially enter America as going up people were getting white x's no one in my family got one i didn't know what they were and didn't bother to ask. So we got through all the security got our green cards and everything after showing we had our twenty five dollars and no x's and all the other jungle objects they wanted. My mom decide she she wanted to settle in the lower east side of New York. New York is a very busy place in america all the immigrants seemed to be crowded i didn't know how i was going to put up with it all. We ended up moving into some row houses. My mom also got a job working in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory she didn't like it much much but did it to support the family. She ended up passing away in the Shirtwaist fire by having to jump instead of being burned its been a rough couple last weeks i have went from switching homes to loosing family members and now having to join the child labor work force to support my family. So i guess you could say we have joined the melting pot.
Rurik Sviatyopok http://www.english.illinois.edu/MAPS/poets/m_r/pinsky/trianglebuilding.gif
Dear Diary,
Finally our ship got to New York! I was tired of the constant rocking of the ship from the moment I got on it. Now we are staying at Ellis Island for a few hours while we wait to get accepted to the United States of America. It feels good to finally be here in New York and off that ship. To make things even better it was sunny today with not a cloud in the sky. As soon as we got to the New York harbor we were ushered from our ship to a barge that took us to Ellis Island. When we got to Ellis Island it was and square Island with walls and nice looking buildings. At first we thought this was where we would be living, until some friends of ours from the ship said this is where immigrants like us get questioned before being allowed to enter the United States. We had to stand in a line for about two hours outside while waiting to be allowed to walk up a ramp lined with men holding clipboards and into a big building that we were told was the gateway to the island. When we got into the building we were ushered into a room and they said that we were lucky to have passed all the medical tests. This confused us because we didn't think that we had been tested. Then they asked me if I had twenty-five dollars or more. We still had our lira from Italy, however they were happy to exchange it into American dollars. We ended up with forty-seven dollars which was more than enough to get in. Next I had to take a test that asked if I was anarchist and if I was willing to be an American citizen. I knew that ananarchistwas someone who opposed government, and after seeing what a weak government did to Italy, I decided that a strong government was very appealing. I just marked no to being an anarchist . I answered yes on the question about wanting to become a citizen. Then we had to take a literacy test which I thought was really easy and so I easily passed it. The final step before being allowed to enter America was to show our passports to an immigration official, then he stamped it and we were on our way. We had to wait for another barge to go into the city and the other immigrants suggested that we eat lunch while we waited. Our first lunch in the United States of America was a ham and cheese sandwich, some really good meal made up by Americans. At lunch we overheard other immigrants talking about where they were going to live as soon as they got into the city. This made me start thinking that I had absolutely no idea where I was going to live as soon as I got into New York City. I heard them talking about a concept of anethnic neighborhoodwhich sounded appealing to me, so I decided to go over and talk to them about these ethnic neighborhoods. I asked them if there was an Italian neighborhood, and they said that it was called Little Italy. This made me excited that I would not have to talk in English all the time, still be able to enjoy the company of other Italians, and that I could still enjoy my favorite Italian cooking without the pain of having to by expensive food like I did in Italy. I also asked these immigrants if they knew where we could live if we went to Little Italy, and they said that there was this type of house that a lot of people shared called adumbbell tenement. If I was going to go live in one of these then I would have to rent out a very primitive room in that house for us to live in. However that would be more than enough room for three people and it would only be temporary until we could find a space in arow housewhen we could afford to move into one. Apparently the dumbbell tenements are very crowded and don't have very good sanitation, and the row houses are better because they have more room and better sanitation as well as less families living in them. Unfortunately the row houses are more expensive to rent than the dumbbell houses. There happened to be a plethora of these dumbbell tenements and row houses because instead of expanding out from the city, the city has reverted to growing up. Even from here on Ellis Island I can see the skyscrapers and tall buildings of the city. I've heard that this is calledUrbanization. Well now I am getting ready to board the barge and finally head into New York City and set my own foot on American soil for the first time in my life.
sincerely,
Mario De Luca
American Wiki –Journal #2 After and eleven day journey Eustachio and I, finally arrive at Elis Island. As we are being herded off the SS. Necker we realize our ship is not the only one that has disembarked to America. “Quick!” a man holding a piece of chalk yelled. My daydreaming halted to a stop. The Americans definitely had a system down for processing everyone, they didn’t waist one second. Eustachio and I were very anxious to officially call ourselves Americans. If the men with chalk were to send us back to Naples our lives would take a short turn for the worst. There was a lot of talk aboutNativismat the dock; I guess some citizens weren’t too keen on the idea of us being here. The family in front of us were chalked and separated. We were not sure what that meant, but we felt a slight feeling of sympathy for the children being taken away from their parents. The men quickly let Eustachio and I pass through and into some testing and questioning areas. We were immediately asked for our passports, while the questioners were reading through them, they were asking us questions about our reasons for coming into America and what we did for a living in our previous country. Eustachio hesitated, this was bad, we couldn’t tell them who we really are! I quickly fabricated a story about working at an iron mill. I then realized Eustachio and I would need an alias or we would have problems “disappearing into America.” Finally, we were asked if we areanarchists.In Latin we have a word very similar to this word and it doesn’t mean anything good, so I blurted out “no!” We were checked to see if we had 25$, are you kidding? We have 25$ and much more to spare. I was the best counterfeiter in all of Italy! After passing the rest of the tests Eustachio and I were finally let into New York as American Citizens! Hours later we met up with some friends that came to New York just a few years before Eustachio and I. We sent a letter to them a few days before we left Naples informing them of our plans to arrive at Ellis Island. Antonio and Lea took us to theirdumbbell tenements,However Lea put up with living in that dirty place I will never know. After a few days Eustachio and I decided to get our own place within a row ofHouse rows.They are probably not the safest but at least Eustachio and I will have a place of our own. Due to theUrbanizationof New York the Row houses are crammed and are inEthnic Neighborhoods, Eustachio and I don’t really fit in, so we just keep to ourselves. So far our travel has been very calming not have the Mafia breathing down our backs, things can only get better from here on out. -Emilio Russo
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Dear diary,
Things are finally beginning to settle down. My brother Angus and I met up with Uncle Roger after we made it through the Ellis Island checkpoint. I found some of the questions they asked were rather strange, but I felt that they were trying to be as fair as possible. I don’t even know what an Anarchist is let alone whether or not I am one! Either way I was fortunate enough to be feeling good when we departed the boat; my bunk mate was turned back when he had a coughing fit at the top of the stairs! All is good with us however. Uncle took us to an Irish neighborhood on the north side of town where the Irish families in the tenements greeted us warmly. My Uncle told me that there were many Ethnic Neighborhoods across New York City where immigrants from across the world would feel at home. Uncle also told us he would talk to his boss at Tammany Hall to try and find us Jobs. He said Tammany is where all the local business owners go to find new workers. If uncle can find us jobs, I think we would like to stay here in New York. The people are friendly and housing is comfortable, although it is much smaller and more cramped then back home. Besides, it doesn’t really feel like we have left at all.
Liam
Gallagher
Journal Entry #2
As we are getting off the ship we see and hear that we are at the all dreaded Ellis Island. We are rushed into a line with many other Irish citizens. The line is moving so slow and my brother and I are very hungry and unsure when we will get our next meal. While in line we meet a girl named Chloe O'Connor, who's friend died on board, and we offer to let her tag along with us. When we finally reach the front of the line we are met by an inspector.
Without even a hello, the inspector starts asking to see our passports and see our twenty-five dollars; we all make it through without a problem. We then advance on to another line where an inspector asks us just one question. Without a reason why, he asks us if we are anarchists. As we all reply no, he also allows us to advance. At the next step up this monotonous journey at Ellis Island we are given a basic literacy test. This test was a joke and we were asked questions like how to spell "cat" or "dog." Next we are hustled to another line, where we are given a health test. THIS WAS THE WORST OF ALL THE TESTS!! We are forced to stand there while a man digs his hands into our eyes, which we were told was to look for hook worms. At last we are finished! We all promised to each other, that we would never return to Ellis Island! We now are taken from Ellis Island to New York. We need to decide where we are to settle down. As we are entering the gates into New York, a man who introduces himself as Chris, tells us that if we are interested he can get us a job and a place to stay, in New York City. So we unanimously decide to settle down in New York City.
September 10th, 1904 - Ellis Island, America
I stepped down onto the bridge that connected the boat to the dock. I finally made it to America! The boat ride across the Atlantic is over! Finally I'm going to be able to have some freedom and a chance in life. I could breathe the fresh air and it was finally nice to be off of the crammed boat. I carried my small bag with me, for I packed light. I just brought my best shirt and two pairs of pants. When I got off of the ship an inspector pinned a number to me. I'm not sure what it was for, but I didn't care to ask many questions. I got into the long line of other people who came to America. The line moved slowly and it took a while. I finally reached the part in line that was at the stairs up to the second story of the building. I noticed some inspectors on the side of each side of the stairs just watching all of us walk up the stairs. Each one had a clip board and chalk. When they noticed someone cough or stagger up the steps they would walk up and mark them with the chalk. I made it to the top of the stairs without being marked at all. I was happy, but I knew I didn't have anything wrong with me. I noticed a piece of paper on the ground talking about the Chinese Exclusion Act. It said how no Chinese immigrants were allowed into America. When I got to the top of the stairs I entered the Registry Room where an inspector got a closer look at me. He ended up making sure I could read and write, which I could because I was taught by my mother back home. He asked to see my money and I pulled it out. He saw that I had $26.30. He said, "Thanks," and let me continue on. The whole entire process took sometime around 5 hours. It was very exhausting. I was guided down the stairs out of the Registry Room. I noticed families crying on the stairs because they were being separated from some taking the trains out of Ellis Island and some going to the recovery place. A little boy who appeared to be 4 years old was being pulled away from his mother by one of the inspectors and his mother was trying to hold on. They both were crying. It brought a few tears to my eyes and I felt great sorrow. I moved down the stairs and continued to the train station. A man standing in a black suit greeted me. He introduced himself was William O'Conner. He seemed very friendly to me. He told me that he was here to help me get settled in American. I greatly appreciated his willingness to help. He told me he was from Tammany Hall, but I wasn't sure what that was, so I asked him. He told me that it was a Democratic political machine, but he didn't want to get into too much detail. He bought both of us a train ticket and I boarded. The train stopped 45 minutes later and he told me this was the stop and we were in New York. I got off and we were in an ethnic neighborhood. There were many other Italians around and many dumbbell tenements and row houses. The dumbbell tenements were filthy with garbage lying all over and they were very crowded. I could see the row houses and they looked much better than the dumbbell tenements. I asked William where I would be living and asked him about the row houses. He told me that he knew where I could live in a row house for the price of a dumbbell tenement. Together we walked a quarter mile down the road. He knocked on a door of a house and a man came to the door. William told him that he was here to get me a house and the man at the door handed him a key. The number 326 was engraved into the key. We walked down the street more and arrived to the row house marked 326. William unlocked the door and handed me the key. He told me this would be my new home in America. I was warned about people that were for Nativism, because they would probably harass me for being an immigrant. But I wasn't too worried about that. He also how us immigrants coming to New York was a good thing because the urbanization was happening which meant farther advancements in different things, new buildings, and more people. He went into some society stuff, but I began to not really pay attention. He finished up his talk with telling me that I needed to get some sleep because he was going to take me to get a job tomorrow then walked out. I'm so excited to finally get my job tomorrow and work for money. I've been waiting for this opportunity for a while now. Time to get my sleep so I'm not tired tomorrow!
Amando Abruzzino
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Olena Volk
August 29Th, 1900
We stepped off the boat today and greeted the warm, fresh and cleansing air. Three weeks all together on a boat is way too much together time if you ask me! I was so nervous about what would happen next but it didn't matter because I was alive and free. Ellis Island is almost magical, the Statue of Liberty is so large and somehow perfectly depicts the Americans' pride in their country. When we got off the boat we were put through a series of tests before we could enter the country. One set of tests was a questionnaire asking us if we were anarchists, apparently they thought we believed that no government was far better than none at all. We have great faith in the governmental system in place in America as it is much better than our previous one. We also went through medical tests and were put under severe scrutiny at any hint of sickness. Thankfully my family and I left Odessa very healthy and well so we did not have to be chalked ad examined. Mama and Papa saved the last of their money so we could get in, it came to about $25 in American currency. We passed through and signed the book they had for the immigrants to sign, it was kind of like a special initiation into America. We are heading out for the Dakotas or Minnesota when spring arrives, but for now we will stay with my aunt and uncle who live in New York. We head for the Russian ethnic neighborhood where they live in a dumbbell tenement until papa can find a job. We want to head out in the spring for the Dakotas when papa has money so we can get some land for farming. We used to plant large quantities of red wheat and make all sorts of baked goods for the family, our last days in Odessa though weren't quite as cheerful. Tsar Nicholas II made us give up our wheat to the soldiers and demanded that papa go and join the Russian army. The people here in America seem less willing to help us out being immigrants and all. American people are devout believers in nativism so end up getting forgotten as people in the process. Our first night with my aunt and uncle was quiet and cramped but I had food and could get to sleep for once so it was progress at least. We ate what little food we had left from our arrival to eat; beef stew, potatoes, bread and herring, bananas, sandwiches and ice cream. The bananas, sandwiches and ice cream were the most interesting things I've ever eaten, it was like nothing I'd ever eaten before. Tomorrow we will begin to look for work, any of us that can get jobs that is. It will my first day as an official American and I will have access to all of the opportunities this country has to offer. Everyone is bubbling about New York City and how it's become a hot spot for urbanization. The city has come alive with factories with everyone working and living here to be closer to the modernized lifestyle. The work found here is far better than being in the country side I've heard, that's all they say. Farming is still important, but life in the factories has taken over everything. I hope that we can find a job with every immigrant in New York searching for a job too. Tomorrow is the day to worry about it, for now I need to sleep.
It has been two weeks and a few days since i left my home in Italy. As soon as i got off the dreaded ship, i immediately tried to grasp every aspect of the new world. I could barely stand because of the excitement. I gathered my belongings and waited to get off the ship. I was so glad to be getting off and leaving the horrible trip behind. As soon soon as was off I looked before me. Leading up to a building there was a large set of stairs. Spread pout among the stairs, there were men in white jackets. As the ship of people moved up the stairs the white jacketed people would pounce. One single cough, and they would mark on them with some kind of chalk. Many watched as I walked by, but i was careful to look very healthy. I watched as the mother of 3 was marked with a big T. I wondered what that could stand for. At the top of the stairs, I stood in line to walk into the building. The people that were marked on were taken into a seperate room. I was moved to another line where a tall man looked at my passport, and checked if i had twenty-five dollars. Passing that, I was moved to one more room where i was seated. The put a piece of paper in front of me and told me to fill it out. Thanks to Luca, I could read everything it asked, and knew i passed with flying colors. One section though, slowed me down. It was a section all on its own. It simply asked, "Are you an anarchist?" My father had explained to me to check no, otherwise our efforts were useless.I finished my test and walked it to the man once again. I was saddened at the sight of people struggling to get through the test. I was sad to think that they could possibly be sent home after coming all this way. They then asked me where I would be going now that I was in America. I said the city that had been on my mind for five years. "New York City," I stated proudly. I was then ushered to the door, and the man said three words I will never forget. "Welcome to America." I had finally arrived. I chose NYC because it was so close to where I had landed. Also, the friends that had immigrated already, were waiting for me with a home to stay. It was located in some place called an ethnic neighborhood. I was full of people from Italy which was comforting because I knew i would not be judged immediately. Also, it could help not miss my home as much. I must go now, and settle in. I will write again soon. - Arianna Ferrari
October 2, 1880
Things in Angel Island are not what I imagined. It is very crowded and I have been standing in line all day and all night waiting for my citizenship test. My feet hurt, I am hungry, and I am nervous that they won’t let me in to America. I am in perfect health, I can speak English fluently, I am not an anarchist, and I have enough money to buy myself a few months of rent in a Dumbbell Tenement. Rumors are going around that the American Government is trying to pass a law called the Chinese Exclusion Act that forbids Chinese immigrants, like myself, from entering America. If they turn me away and deport me back to China, I won’t make it past next year.
-Wang Chow
October 3, 1880
I am now a legal American citizen! I made it through Angel Island and I am set to start a new life. I was lucky that the man who was giving me the citizenship test was so greedy. They were giving these reading tests that were impossible to pass. I think they made it so hard because we were all Chinese. Luckily I was able to use some of my stolen American money from the mob, and give the man a bribe to give me my citizenship, even though I could read and write in English perfectly. I am now off to a Settlement House to get sleep, so I can look for a job in the morning.
-Wang Chow
September 2nd 1903
I am so glad to be off the boat. The fresh air is nice, but the walkway is very crowded. I am seeing, for the first time, American soil. We are at an island, and everyone says we must stop here before we can actually go to America, but this is still very exciting. “Ilio, Splendens! Come back! We are going inside the building!” I had wandered to try to glimpse America, but I wandered back to my mother as we entered the building at Ellis Island. I had wandered to try to glimpse America, but I wandered back to my mother as we entered the building at Ellis Island. The crowds here are pressing, and we can hardly get through the building. As we follow the crowd up the stairs, there are a bunch of men with clipboards. One of them stares at me, and I look away, scared. I start humming “Mica mica Parva Stella” as Splendens grabs my hand. Her soft hand calms me, until we get up the stairs. We were lost. Somehow, we had drifted away from Mother, and there was so many people shouting in different languages that I did not understand. Not wanting to loose Splendens too, I picked her up and looked around for Mother. There were many people filling out different papers. Somehow, I got into a line of people moving in a long snaking manner. It took forever, and the long line moved very slowly. Way up ahead, there were people who were sitting at tables, letting only a few people passing them at a time. I approached one of them. "Hai her head visto i mieigenitori?" I asked. The man stared at me blankly, and then asked "Do you speak English?" I did not understand him, so I shook my head no, and so he turned around and called someone over. I was then bombarded by questions in a many different languages until he said "Do speak Italian?" I nodded, excited. "Good. My name is Mr. Williams, and I am going to translate what this man is saying for you." Mr. Williams spoke to the other man, who then spoke to him. Mr. Williams turned to me and asked "Have you traveled here with parents, or by yourself?" "I lost my parents and siblings coming up the stairs. I don't know where anyone is, and I don't have my passport. My father had it." He translated that it to the other man, and then turned to me and said "Okay, we are going to let you wait here until you find your parents, okay. You can come past the table, but then you must stay here until you parents pick you up, and they are approved to pass, okay?" I nodded, and then followed him to a bench. Splendens, who had quietly been playing with her doll in my arms then asked "Ilio, where's mommy and daddy?" "Oh, Splendens, don't worry. They will come, okay. We'll find them." "But where are they?" "Coming. Why don't you go to sleep. I'll wake you up when they come." She nodded, then leaned over, and putonthe hard bench. I sat there for the longest time, watching all the people pass through the doors. Many conversations I recognized because they were in Italian, but many I did not. Some people were not allowed to pass, and those who were not all had marks on their coats that meant something to the people at the table, but most people had no idea what they meant. At last I saw little Quin worming his way through the crowd. "Quin, where have you been!" I grabbed Splendens, then ran to Quin. "Ilio!" he called, "Mother and father have been looking for you!" With that, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back through the crowd, until we got to our parents. Alba, who had had a slight cough ever since the boat had been marked with something, and so Mother had been watching him, and not us when I had accidentally slipped away. We made it to the one desk, and were allowed to pass, after a couple of pokes and prods. We were handed pieces of papers that we had to fill out the questions. Many of them, I did not understand, so I asked Mother. One of them that I didn't understand was a question about anarchists. My mother told me to just say no to it, but I later found out that they were people who doesn't like organized government, and I am glad I put no. we were shuffled from room to room, and poked and prodded even more. Mother grew worried because she had not found Alba, and we were almost done with what Father called 'Processing.' After a while, I asked Father where we were going to stay. "For awhile, we are going to live in houses called tenementsthat are shaped like dumbbells. We will live there until we have enough money to get to Salt Lake." "How are we going to get money?"
"Well, I, Alba, Emi, and you are probably going to have to work in a factory, and Mother will stay home because Splendens and Quin are too young to work." "But that's child labor, Father! I want to go to school and learn to speak English!" "Yes, you will son, when we get to Utah, but until then, Mother and I are going to need you to work." I nodded as we finally came out of the building just in time to see my first American sunset!
-Ilio Bella
July 9, 3:00 pm: We are in America now. It was the most exhilarating sight I
have ever seen in my life. I am so happy right now, I can't even explain it.
We are now on a place called Ellis Island. It is a very small piece of land
very close to New York, which is where my mother, sister, and I are headed.
We are standing in a line now waiting to be inspected. I am not sure what
they are inspecting, but it makes me a little nervous. Most people I have
seen have gotten through; there was a mother and her older son who got
separated that I saw. They put her to the side and let her son go through.
She looked scared and sad, she was crying.
4:00pm: We just made it through! I am so happy, now there is nothing to do
but start enjoying the luxuries of America! We walked up these stairs while
all the inspectors just watched. It was scary. Once we reached the top of
the stairs we were all inspected and my mother took something called a
literacy test, and an anarchist. Good thing my father sent us over with $30,
because they made sure we had at least 25. They also asked if we were Anarchists. We said we were not. That is good because, otherwise we wouldn't have been alowd into America. While I was waiting for my mother
to take the test and get checked I met a very nice girl. Her name is Sara
and she is from Greece. Her boat just landed as well. We talked for quite a
while a she seems to be just as excited as I about being here. She has left
now, but I sure hope I will see her again. I think we would be friends.
6:00pm: Wow, I have not been here long and I already am very overwhelmed.
New York is a very large city. My mother says it is large and crowded, but
we will have the best opportunities here and right now, we just don't have
the money to live outside of the city. It is also just much easier to be
right where we will work, because we don't quite know our way around yet. We
are currently living in a dumbbell tenement for now. I am not very fond of it.
We have no room and it is pretty dirty. We looked at some Row Houses but the
dumbbell tenements fit what we needed better. The row houses were just not
enough wide open space. But just like the boat, I will get used to it. I
will not complain because I know my mother and father are working very hard
to provide for our family. Well I must go to bed now. I have a busy day
ahead me. I will explore the city and try to find a job. Good night.
Depict your processing into America- What did you go through to enter America? Did you enter at Ellis Island or Angel Island? What tests did you have to go through to be allowed entrance to the United States? Which city are you going to settle in? Why did you choose that city?
Journal Entry 2
I finally got to Ellis Island. It's a relief to finally be off that ship, especially after seeing so many people getting sick and some dying. Now just when I thought I was free in America, I .have to go through all this ridiculous testing and questioning. I've heard of some people being rejected before. They had to go all the way back to Ireland on those stinky, dirty ships. Luckily, I made it through all the tests and questions. It wasn't easy though. First I had to go up these stairs and there were these people watching everybody walk up. For some reason they marked some people with letters. I had a feeling those letters didn't mean anything good and was glad when I made it passed them without a single mark on me. After that, they made sure I had a passport. On top of that, they had some literacy testing... They made sure I could read and understand English to a point I guess. I'm not really sure, all I know is that I apparently passed it. Then they had the two most ridiculous questions- they asked me if I was an anarchist and whether or not I had at least $25. I answered "no" to the anarchist question and I did have $25 so I guess that's what they wanted to hear out of me. I've decided that I'm going to be living in New York, it seems like a good place to live. It has plenty of job opportunities and I've heard there's these ethnic neighborhoods that you can go too that has only people from your country. I hope to go and live in a neighborhood with Irish people like that. I also heard that in cities like New York there's these settlement houses where I can learn some new things and that might be good to give me some work options. I haven't decided whether I want to live in either dumbbell tenements or row houses though. They both sound like the living quarters are right next to others living space. The dumbbell tenements apparently don't have many bathrooms in them but that shouldn't be a big problem. I guess I'll just have to figure out what I want to live in when I get to a good neighborhood.
-Brogan Gallagher
July 2, 1896
Today I arrived at Ellis Island. My journey was very long and tiresome. Ellis Island was a lot different then I expected. I thought it would be quiet and orderly but instead my five children and I were bombarded the minute we set foot on the stairs. People were checking us to see if we had any sort of disease or something. Lukas was marked with an X because of his eyes. One of them was slightly red but that was just because he got dirt in it when we were coming off the boat. Even though I told them this, they were insistent on him being further checked. They thought that he had trachoma. The other children moved on to their reading and intelligence tests while I went with Lukas to see the doctors. After a couple of painful tests, Lukas was cleared and we met up with the other children. They stuck a pin in his eye and it broke my heart to see him in that much pain. We are just going to New York because it's close. We barely have the 25 dollars to just get into the US so we don't have enough to travel. Plus, my husband is already here in New York. He left about 3 months ago. He did not want us to go with him because he was not sure how the conditions would be. We have heard many stories about the splendor of America but my husband is very sceptical. He has written to me that he has secured a job at a clothing factory and has found a dumbell tenement for us to live. He says that it is in a small ethnic neighborhood and that we will be able to make friends easily. I hope he is right.
- Emmalina EignerTalbor Kovács
September 9, 1907
Yesterday, i came into Ellis island. It was so cramped with immigrants, people were coughing and some could hardly even walk. As people were walking off the boat, many of them were being chalked for some reason. The letters were in English, which i did not recognize yet. I walked out of the boat I walked as best and as straight as I was able too, I grab what little belongings I had and walked with the crowd. I had no clue what way we were walking into, but I hoped I would soon be able to rest. I met a man from Italy on my way through the line, he never actually told me who he was. I couldn't understand what he was saying, all I knew was Hungarian. It is such a melting pot here, people from all over the world are flooding into this place. It looks like there will be ethinic neighborhoods here as ethnic groups like to stay in there own little groups. I have to go now, I will tell you about going through ellis island in my next entry.
Talbor Kovács
September 10, 1907
This journal entry will be out my experience in Ellis Island a day and another ago. As I was getting close to the front, a man came up to me and asked me where I was from. He gave me a card that was written in Hungarian and told me when i go to the front I had to do exactly what this card says to show i knew how to speak and understand Hungarian. The card read like this, "The instructions are simple, take the card and flip it over 3 times. Then use your left hand to face the card upside down on the table". When i got to the guard i preformed what the card said for him, he told me to keep my eyes open so he could do a quick check. When he was done with this, one of the questions he asked me was if I was an Anarchist, he said this was mandatory because there had been a problem with an anarchist in New York City. After this he asked me my name and wrote me a card that said I was a citizen now, I was finally a citizen of America.
Talbor Kovács
September 11, 1907
This is my third day out of Ellis island, and i dont know where to go. The city is so cramped and a thing called urbanization has hit and people from the country are flooding into the cities too. The people here are very mean to me and I dont understand why, many other immigrants tell me it's Nativism. They said that the people who lived here before us dislike immigrants. I have been looking for a job for these past few days. Ive decided to live in New York City, it will be the easiest for my family. I will be buying a 3 room dumbell tenement for us, I heard they are small but thats all that i can afford. My wife and 4 kids will be moving here after after I am able to get an apartment and job set up. My wife will be working in the factories, and I am trying to get a job in a coal mine in Pennsylvania. It will be a short ride on a train and I think it will be the easiest way for me. This will be my last entry for a while, once I get my life started here I will be sure to right in my journal again.
Day 22-
We are reaching the port of Ellis Island in New York. I would be more excited if Toris would refrain from harassing our other cabin members. He is trying to get them to dance in celebration of our arrival and the journey's end aboard this evil ship. I tell him not to get too close to the others and stay near me because many are infected and I heard that if you are sick the government officials can demand you be sent back to your former country. The anti-American immigrant has tried to sway me into joining his cause of remaining aboard to ship to travel to Italy. His hatred of America has risen to unbelievable levels now, as he speaks of flammable row houses with thin walls and dumbbell tenements where you only have one room to share with your family. I must say though, when he speaks of child labor and the conditions with which the children work under disgust and terrify me. I would rather work for nothing than allow Toris to live live that. I must finish gathering our few possession as the ship is reaching the port.
Day 25-
We made it through the port successfully. They held us for three days but eventually were forced to let us through as there were more families bigger than our two-person party to deal with. We both had to take literacy tests and Toris passed his with flying colors. I had a little trouble as the print was tiny but I made it. In the end all I had to was flip a card a few times then put it down with my left hand. Afterwards the man asked me if I was an an anarchist. Not knowing what it was I said no. When I asked Toris he said they were bad people who wanted to hurt the government. I wonder how he knew?
The money we had proved to be enough to allow us in without the need for welfare. A man tried to stall us for not having passports ready but I eventually retrieved them from my bag and presented them. When he read my name he decided it was odd Feliks had a 'K' and an 'S' instead of an 'X'. I told him I was named after a Polish relative and there is no 'X' in their alphabet. He said it was too long and changed it to Felix Loren. I feel stripped of something very important but I can deal for he said if I accept it I can become a citizen of America. Later they also checked us for disease and other illnesses. We both came up negative. Thank goodness. If I or Toris were to be deported without the other I would swim across the ocean to be with him. He may not care that much about me but he's little brother.We also had to climb these treacherous staircases; I had to carry Toris up them when he got tired! But we made it and now we are here in America.
~Later on... My first task was to find a job and housing sufficient enough for myself and Toris. He's in a church praying to his gracious and merciful God for giving us safe passage and all that other religious stuff. There is a man walking towards where I am. Maybe he has a question?
Day 26-
The mysterious man who walked to where I was first started to speak to me in English, but what once he heard my Russian accent he started speak in Russian. So surprising. He said he could help me get a job, a place to live, and food! Even help me get Toris into school as well! All he said was that I had to vote for a man named Tweed on election time... Should I accept the offer or not?
Day 30-
I did take the opportunity to help Toris.
Feliks L. or rather Felix Loren now as they call me in America.
Dear children,
I have made it to America and I now sit waiting on Ellis Island. I've seen many people turned down because they were sick. I currently have a subsiding cough and I had tried to hide it but they caught me and wrote on my shoulder with a white powdery material. One of the men marked my room mate with an x and a circle around it while I was marked with what I later found out as a P. They told me that I'm going to have to wait here for a couple of days to see if I can in to America. This is so frustrating. I'm so close to America and I'm being denied passage at the moment. I've been reading old "The New-York Times" here dated from 1873 and have found many articles about Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring. Apparently, America isn't as golden as it seems but in the end justice was served. Tammany Hall is a place in New York city and was very corrupt and bought votes from immigrants. I don't see a problem with that though because immigrants could chose not to accept. I understand that it's illegal to do that but America should make it legal and allow all the political figures to hand out food, jobs, housing, and money to people to show how much they care. This Tweed fellow apparently stole around 200 million dollars and was eventually caught. The later newspapers tell of how Tweed then escaped to Spain and was caught by authorities there and recognized by a picture that Thomas Nast drew. Anyway back to my horrible waiting situation. When I got here they wanted to know how much money I had. I didn't want to tell them for fear that they'd take it from me. Eventually they explained that they weren't going to take it they just wanted to check and see how much money I had. I showed them the $43 that I had and they let me through to the next part. The doctor here is very kind and tells me that most likely I'll be let out of here and into America in 3 days. The doctor talks to me sometimes about the Chinese exclusion act. This act is being renewed again this year and he's not happy. He says that his parents were Chinese and they came here for a better life. He feels that the number of chinese they do allow in isn't fair since they don't limit any other countries amount of immigrants. I'm not going to retreat to my corner and try to catch some sleep. From this corner I can see the Statue of Liberty. It's so majestic and huge. Maybe someday I'll be able to see it up close.
Herman Van Buren
Jan. 21, 1902
June 3, 1906
Today was the start of my new life in America. We docked at Ellis Island early this morning and I could barely contain myself. Although we were in third class, we were able to leave the ship very quickly. There was so much pushing that was caused by the travelers anticipation to start their new lives. We first had to walk up a very large flight of stairs and Bella was marked with chalk. She was ushered away and I thought I would never see her again. Although I was scared, I had to keep going with out her. I had to prove my citizenship in Italy, speak the only English I knew, and show them my 25 dollars. They asked if i was an Anarchist, and since I didn't understand, I just nodded my head no. Then it was over. They gave me a certificate and said, "Welcome to America!" I later went to the "kissing booth" to find my father and sister waiting for me. It was a sweet reunion as we headed to Manhattan toward our dumbbell tenement. Our father, Romano, said we were going to have to go to work, but would avoid the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. He said it was our responsibility, that we were to old to be educated anyway. He also said there were many children working for their families, and were known as child laborers.
-Annalisa Conzoneri (Italy)
May 23, 1904,
When I arrived in Ellis Island I was quickly moved to an area that separated people by their country of origin into small groups. My group was first put through a physical exam where each person had to move up and down a set of stairs. Before we started the stairs each member of my group was given a medical inspection card One man in my group was suddenly marked with white chalk and unable to finish the test was sent off to another room for more testing to be done on him. My medical inspection card was stamped with the word passed and I was moved on to the next area. The next step was the
mental exam and on mine I had to copy a picture of a diamond which was fairly easy for me to do. There were also other different mental tests that others took like counting numbers and problem solving questions. The next step for me was a legal inspection where I was asked questions about my occupation, family, finances, and if I have ever committed a crime. Some of the other questions I was asked were if I was an anarchist and a series of questions to see if I would be able to support myself in America. The people who did not answer these questions correctly were put in detention until they were sent back home or were finally allowed into the United States. When I was able to leave Ellis Island I had no family waiting for me at the kissing post but i was determined to find a job to support my family. I had decided to stay in New York City because it required the least amount of extra travel for me. The first thing i looked for when I arrived in New York was a place to live. I had heard from another fellow countryman that there was an ethnic neighborhood on the east side of town so I headed there first. When I got to the neighborhood the houses were all dumbbell tenements which I was unfamiliar with, but that is where I decided to stay.
Vladimir Dracula (Transylvania)
June 3, 1906
My sister and I are American! We live in New York now. After the boat docked in Ellis Island we had to go through a series of tests. I was so tired when I got off the boat and there were so many stairs! My excitement got me to the top and I manged to score a white chalk mark on my way up. I was whisked away to get a medical examine. I was so scared that I would get separated from my sister but we met up later. I also had to write my name, read and write in English, get my eyes checked and show them I had $25. That was the last of my savings but it is totally worth it. They asked me if I was an anarchist and since I didn't know what they were talking about I shook my head no. We saw father again! He looked very tired but very happy to see us. He was describing his life here and didn't sound like what I thought it would. He works in a factory and he says that now we must go to work in a factory. He says that even though the child labor here is hard that we must to earn money to support our family. He said we will not have to work in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Hopefully Annalisa and I can work in the same factory. When we got home I wanted to sleep so bad but was astonished at what I saw. We live in a dumbbell tenement. It is very small, only about 16 feet wide and we have to share it with another family.
Bella Canzoneri (Italy)
June 21, 1911: Entry 2
We just got done with everything we had to do at Ellis Island which took a long time. Something interesting I got to see when we landed was the Statue of Liberty, it was really big.
After we entered Ellis Island we had to climb this big flight of stairs. This was kinda hard because we had just gotten off a boat and were really tired. There were these people that were watching us with clip boards in their hands but I don't really know what they were doing. They were marking letters on people and the ones that had letters had to go to a separate area. I am guessing that it wasn't a good thing. No one in my family got marked so we could go onto the the next thing. We had to have our documents checked and were asked if we were anarchists. I didn't know what this was, but my parents said we weren't. We also had to take a literacy test, which we all passed. They asked if we had at least $25 dollars. I guess it was to prove to them that we would be able to live on our own until we got jobs. We had a little bit of money because Pa and Ma had been saving up for the trip to America. Our family was still going to have to get jobs though. I heard about this factory, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, that got caught on fire. I am worried that something like that will happen at somewhere that I work. I have also heard of settlement houses. I guess they are supposed to help us immigrants learn basic skills. I don't know if we will go to one, but it's always a option.
We decided that we are probably going to move to Hawthorne, New York because it offers my family many jobs. Pa said that we are probably going to have to live in a dumbbell tenement which is a little house that a lot of people can live in. He said that we might also have to live in a row house, which is very similar. They are tiny single family houses that are all attached. I hope that we have enough room... I am starting to wonder if America is going to be as great as people have been making it out to be. We haven't yet gotten to Hawthorne yet, but when we do I will write what it is like. Wish us luck, I think we are going to be needing a lot of it.
Sofia
June 12, 1901
It was a great relief when we finally got the word that we would land in Ellis Island in a few days. The boat had this new splash of optimism. A few children and older people had died from a pneumonia outbreak that started with an unchecked processed child.We'd been on the ship for almost trois weeks.
We pulled into port and my heart almost leaped out of my chest. I heard of all the promises of greatness in America and the pure look of it, it seemed like it would deliver. I was excited to see my father more than anything. I knew that as soon as we finished all our tests, we would be reunited. I had overheard people talking of the tests that we had to go through and knew of how ridiculous they were. I was just glad that I wasn't an Anarchist for they were not even considered, they were just sent right back to the horrible conditions in Europe or wherever they came from. I also was scared of the Nativism groups. While we didn't look much different then others, I knew our accents would cause people to react negatively to us. That made me quite uncomfortable.
As soon as we got off the boat we were hurled into inspections. It was like a big melting pot of people of all different races and origins blending together. All through our inspections my mom kept saying how excited she was to be part of such a great urbanization movement. She said that my father was so grateful as well. He said that he kept writing to her telling her that Jane Adams was his female knight in shining armor, and without her, we wouldn't be heading over. I didn't know what she did, but I assumed it was something to do with helping him get a job. He also warned us, as his friends had warned him, to not get involved with Tammany Hall. They would most likely approach my mom, and offer her jobs and such, but I wouldn't be surprised if she still accepted whatever they were offering.
I have to go now for we are done with our inspections. I don't think I will have much time to write in the future, but I promise I will whenever I can.
Mademoiselle Fifi Flavie
August 1, 1897
It was so refreshing to get off that cramped, disgusting, smelly ship! As I took my first breath of fresh air I looked up and saw Ellis Island up close. There were huge brick buildings with many people everywhere speaking languages I had never heard. In fact I had never heard any other languages but Italian and English before I came to America. When we finally got in the main building we were corralled like cattle into lines where the men in uniform were asking us for our inspection card to stamp. Next, we were pushed up the stairs that were lined with more uniformed men. One of them grabbed to lady walking next to me who was coughing and made a mark on her jacket. I wondered what the mark was for but didn't dwell on it too long. Once at the top of the stairs, we were made to walk in a circle to check for health problems. Then we were led to the left where we each had to complete a puzzle of a steamship along with three other puzzles. Then we were asked to draw a diamond shape. After that, we were asked questions like; What is your name? Do you have any relatives here? Do you have a criminal record? Are you an anarchist? Have you ever been to the United States before? They also asked how much money momma had and asked to see it. Momma pulled out our $29 and he let us pass. As we were finally walking toward the exit, we were met with one last line in between us and America. When we got to the front of the line he asked to see all our documents for a final check of stamps and he asked us our names and wrote them down on tags that he pinned to our clothes. Then asked us where we were going to live. Momma said that her husband was waiting for her and he that he has a place for us to all live. We were free! We all saw daddy at the "kissing post" and ran into his arms smiling with tears of joy running down our faces. Once we were done with our family reunion, momma ask dad were we were living. He told us that we will be living in Little Italy, New York. I was ecstatic! Momma asked why he picked that city. He said that is was best because its not as big of a culture shock. He also explained that New York is a big melting pot and that there are many different ethnic neighborhoods where people from the same culture would congregate just like we are doing. I was so happy to see my father that happy and have my family reunited once again with a whole new beginning ahead of us!
Alessandra
September 26, 1910
Today we landed in Ellis Island, New York. There were a ton of immigrants just like my family. I don't know why but I was very surprised. I knew the boat was crowded but I never considered how many other boats were just as crowded as the one I was on that were coming from other places. At this place, and after standing in lines for hours we had to go through many different tests to make sure it was okay that we entered the United States. We had to go through physicals tests like walking up flights of stairs. And then there were tests that the U.S. government gave us. They asked us questions like if I was an anarchist, because I guess at one point one of their presidents was killed or at least was tried to be murdered by an anarchist. We also had to show them our legal documents and take a literary test to make sure we can read and write and speak English. After that we had to go through a series of medical testing so the Americans would know that we were not bringing in some disease that would start an epidemic or something like that. I saw one lady who was tested positive for TB and she had three children with her and the Americans sent all of them back to their home country. Luckily my mother, sister, and I all passed all of the tests just like my father did! Once we were finally through all of the testing and standing in lines we met my father outside. I gave him a huge hug! I missed him so so much. As we were standing their I noticed a group of people standing their yelling at all of the immigrants. I asked father who they were. He told me that those people were Americans who believed in nativism. They were against immigration and were for English speaking people. I assume they won't hate us all that much, we are pretty good at speaking English. I have been practicing for a while. As I looked around even more and taking in all the new buildings and all the people I noticed that America was like a huge melting pot of all different kinds of people. On our way to our apartment Father took us by a place called a settlement house. This is a place were immigrants could to find people that would help them to adjust to the new place and where people would help them get around and to teach them to speak English.We stopped by here because Father had been helping a man that was also from France but did not know any English. Finally when we got to our apartment my first thought was it is so SMALL! I couldn't believe it. Mother nearly fainted. How are we going to survive here? Father assures us that things will get better and that living here is the best thing for us right now. When i looked out the one tiny window we had I saw a big factory. It was called the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. This factory, Father told me, made all the women's clothing and that it is a very hazardous building but at some point Mother or I might end up working there. I'm worried. What if something bad happens?
Valerie Reynolds
Journal Entry 2
My brother and I have passed through Ellis Island without much trouble, although we did go through some tests. As we got of the ship, we filed up the stairs where people with clipboards and chalk were marking certain people with letters. Neither my brother nor I were marked, and when we reached the top we were separated and entered a building where we were interviewed. In the building we were interviewed, we were asked if we knew how to read, speak and write in English. The last question they asked us was if we were anarchist, we answered no, because we saw another immigrant being escorted back to the ship yelling “I’m not an anarchist!” After the interview I asked them if my brother and I should rent a place in a row house, he said no, and suggested that we go to an ethnic neighborhood, and rent a place with other Irish immigrants in a dumbbell tenement. So now we are thinking about staying in New York City since we are already here, and there are plenty of Irish neighborhoods.
-Alex Quinn
Huete ist Samstag, den 23. 1893 Februar
I am now only 5 hours away from Ellis Island, and then from there go right into New York. The food on the ship has gotten really bad. The bread isn't white anymore and is rock hard, there is very few things to drink, and everybody gets small portions to eat. The smell around my cabin was really sickening now, so I stayed up on the deck as often as I could. Once I reach Ellis Island, I am going to be the first off of this ship.
The ship was finally docked at Ellis Island, and I could finally get off. I had everything of mine packed before the boat got here, so I could get off faster, but I wasn't the only one who thought of this, so I still had to wait in a line to get off. Walking towards the designated area for us, I saw that there were doctors who were examining everybody, sometimes marking them with a letter and sending them to a different line. Once I was through this area, they asked for my name and sent me to a cafeteria area and told me to wait for my name to be called. The cafeteria was amazing, there were all sorts of things you could eat. There was cold milk, fish, white, soft bread with butter, and fresh fruit. So far has been a great start for getting into America. I heard my name called, and they sent me into a room where there was a desk and another man with papers in front of him. I sat down at a chair and he started asking me questions like "Can you speak English, and if so, how well?" and "Do you have $25?" and "Where do you plan to live and work?" After I answered all of these, he handed me a paper questionnaire. After I filled it out and gave it back to him, he looked it over and said for me to continue on.
I got onto the next ferry to New York. When I got off, I needed to find a place to live and work. I talked to some people to find out what to do, and people told me that there were settlement houses that could help find anything that I needed. Right when I was walking down the road, a man came up to me.He introduced himself as Bjorn. He said if I was looking for a place to live, he could help me, so I agreed. He took me to a place that he called a "dumbbell tenement", and said that it was cheap rent, but I would have to share the room with someone, so I said that it would be fine if it was fine by the other person. When we got there he took me to a room that was on the first floor, next to an alley, and knocked on the door. Another German answered the door, where Bjorn introduced me too him. His name was Jens Deiter. Bjorn said that Jens would take me to my job, which I was surprised to already have, and said that if I had any questions, I could go to Tammany Hall and find him there.
Joseph Kuafmann
Huete ist Fritag, den 28. 1892 Dezember
Today was the day, I have finally made it to America. After the long grueling trip across the Atlantic were the cabin conditions were at the worst, but on the bright side I finally get some fresh hair. The island I arrived at is Ellis Island, it looked very welcoming next to the Statue of Liberty. As I was walking to the building there were people watching us as we went. I saw one of them mark someone but thought nothing of it. I entered the building first and started the tests right away. The tests were fairly easy, one was just reading instructions that were in English and the only hard part was deciding left from right. Then they had me show 25 dollars and then sign my name. Afterward the last thing I was asked was if I was an anarchist and I said no, I started to wonder if they did not like anarchists. All this was done in an hour and the inspector sent me to a hall for food, it was amazing for I got to choose what I wanted to eat and the food was great for it was a lot better than the food on the ship. I just sat there afterwards wondering why the ship had no food that was this good. But then a man walked up to me and said he was willing to give me a place to stay called a dumbbell tenement and that he was part of a group called the tweed ring. At the same time though another man came up to give me my passport and had the other man leave, so I could not find more out.
I walked out of the building to start my new life in America. As I entered the city there were people talking about settlement houses that would help them find jobs, earn a living, and many other skills. I heard of a German neighborhood and went there were I got a place in a dumbbell tenement, I also heard of other ethnic neighborhoods around the city. It was nothing to brag about. There was a lot of talk about a act called the Chinese Exclusion Act which seemed to interest some people. I decided to walk around and explore and that is when it hit me that there was a lot of child labor here in the city. It shocked me at how many kids that were working in this city, it just looked weird. I walked past the Tammany Hall which had a lot of men in suits walking around that looked very busy. When I started to head back to my small apartment I walked down a different street with row houses that looked a lot better than I was living in, I started to wonder about the row houses as I walked back to my new house wondering if I will ever be in one. I hope so.
Jens Deiter
Our first day in America were very busy. We got off the ship at Ellis Island, New York. It was so nice to finally get some fresh air! I learned that America is called the Melting Pot because of how many immigrants are there from different countries. I guess a lot of the cultures combine here like a big melting pot. Getting off the ship was chaos. There were so many people all trying to go to one place. I almost lost my brother and sister in the process.
The first thing we had to do was leave all of our bags in one place so we could go through inspection. As we walked up the stairs to the main hall, health inspectors and doctors were watching. Anyone who looked sick got a mark on them and they had to do go see a doctor before entering into America. I was lucky enough to make it past any of the doctors without getting marked. Mario and Marcella made it past too. From there we went into the Great Hall. The Great Hall is where all of the legal paperwork and and tests are done. We had to show the officials our passports so they knew we were legal to come into America. Then I had to take a literacy test to see if I could read or write at all. A lot of people had trouble doing the test because they didn't know English very well. Next, they asked a few easy questions. One of them asked if we were anarchists. If we said yes, we would be sent right back to Italy. They're afraid that the people who are against government will try to overthrow the one that's in place. The last thing we had to do was exchange our euros for dollars and show that we had 25 dollars. The officials say that is enough for us to live off of for at least a month while we find a place to live and a job. All of the tests and inspections took about six hours to get through. A lot of people that were on the boat with us had to stay longer because they had to do medical inspections or other problems with the legal papers. I am so glad that we were done as fast as we were. I can't wait to start our new life in America! After we were done at Ellis Island, we took a ferry over to Manhattan. Mario decided it would be best if we lived in New York City, New York. There are many different places there to work so finding a job and making money will be easier if we stay there. There are ethnic neighborhoods in New York. If we live in one of these, we will be living with other people who have moved from Italy and it will make the transition easier. Also, we know where it is and it's just easier to stay close to where the ferry dropped us off. The houses that most of the immigrants live in are called dumbbell tenements. We live in one in a neighborhood called Little Italy. The building is pretty crowded and with all the people living in one place, its kind of gross. But this is all we can afford for now and I am just happy to have a place to live. Hopefully soon we can move into a different house. Something called row houses. I hear they are bigger nicer than dumbbell tenements and way less crowded. My first couple days were long and exhausting. Soon, we are going to go out and find jobs so we can officially start our life in America.
Maria DeLuca
June 27, 1893
We arrived at Ellis Island this morning and my fears have been confirmed. i was marked when an amerikan heard my cough. i will not be sent back, at least not yet. I'm being sent to a hospital in New York. My sister and all her children passed through. They will go on to Ohio where i will meet them as soon as i can. Unfortunately i don't know how long that will be.
-Kassandra
July 7, 1893
I have been in this hospital for over a week. It is a tiresome place to live. They do not let you do much more than read, eat, and sleep. they tell me i have a disease called typhoid fever. They i must stay here until they are sure the disease is out of me. They give me papers and books to read. Right now I'm reading a book called The Naval War of 1812 by a politician named Theodore Roosevelt. Although it's quite dull it teaches me some American history. They also let me read the papers, i never knew there were so many problems in amerika. Child labor is now something i worry about for my nieces and nephews, will they be forced to work? What if they get hurt? The horrible housing for factory workers, the settlement houses and dumbbell tenements are small and unclean. The conditions are almost worse than in Berlin! I'm scared that this was the wrong decision to come here. But it's too late for second guessing myself now...
-Kassandra
July 29, 1893
I made it out of the hospital. I'm now living in an ethnic neighborhood in New York City. I met a woman when i was applying for a job at the factory that said i could live with her. Her name is Elizabeth and she is also a German immigrant. She came her about five years back. The factory we work at is called the triangle shirtwaist factory, it seems to be an okay place to work although it's very strict on the immigrant women. I'm still reading the papers to learn more about American culture. They call America a melting pot i guess what that means is there are so many different people and races coming together. i don't know if the people of America are happy with being a melting pot, they don't seem to be very fond of us.
-Kassandra
Journal Entry 2
March 18 1896
Walking up the stairs felt great and I'm not sick anymore. I noticed that the guy in front of me was coughing and some guys on the stairs mobbed him and marked him with a T. I didn't know what to think about that so i kept walking. Then when i finished my test I noticed them kicking a guy out I wonder what happened. I waited for the boat to New York and i grabbed a bite to eat. When I landed I looked for somebody who understood my accent and then this guy named Jacob came up. He asked if i had anywhere to go and i didn't so he said he'd help. He went to get something and this guy said be careful he could be involved in the Tweed Ring. I didn't care if it got me food and a roof I was okay. I got a job as a cop and i get a good amount of cash for not arresting people. I also saw a lot of children working at the business I walked by. I lived by myself in a dumbbell tenement it was kinda roomy for one person. I went to a settlement house to learn English and law. I saw a big company and 12 or 13 year old children it was called Triangle Waist Factory. I lived in a Greek neighbor hood it was pretty awesome because I ate gyros everyday.
Apollo Justice
Dear Journal,
Yesterday, I reached America after a two-week-long trip from Italy. People said we were at Ellis Island. My family and I walked up the stairs together. There were people wearing strange clothes that were checking every person that walked past them. They put chalk on people that were coughing. Luckily for us, they didn’t put any chalk on any of us. The chalked people were separated and put into a room with other chalked people. After the stairs, people asked to see our papers. My mother got out our passports. Once our passports were checked out we were all asked if we were anarchists. We all said no and then moved on. We were in the new land.
My father was waiting for us after we passed the anarchist test. However a man approached us before my father reached us. He said he could set us up with a place to stay and a job for the boys that are of age. When my father arrived at where we were standing he told the man to leave. My father explained that the man would give us kickbacks in exchange for us voting for what they wanted us to. He said that man worked for Tammany Hall which was a political party. I didn’t think it sounded so bad, but my father said we were in a free land and should be able to vote for what we wanted. He was right, of course. I wanted to see the whole city but my father brought us to a neighborhood where everyone was Italian. He called it an ethnic neighborhood. He also said to me that I should keep quiet about the fact I am an immigrant. He said the people that have been living here were picking up the idea of nativism. When we reached our building, our apartment was small, only three rooms. It was called a dumbbell tenement. It was as crammed as the boat. When I asked my father why we were not living in the city he said that we were part of urbanizing it. He said that urbanization was where people lived just on the outskirts of the city, but still in it.
Anthony Bianchi
The Gateway to America
Ora ho veduto uno dei posti temuti per gli immigranti, Ellis Island.
I have now seen one of the most feared places for immigrants, Ellis Island.
June 5th, 1900
Finally, land at last! Today, I Bruno Gallo, got my first view of America and I must say that it is beautiful. I no longer have to stay on a crowded and cramped ship packed with seasick immigrants. The trip took just over a month, but it felt like forever. My boat stopped on Ellis Island so all of the immigrants could be tested. When I stepped off of the boat, I realized how long it had been since I had walked on land. The island was a melting pot and I saw it immediately. I saw other immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Norway, and many other ethnicities, all of which desired to be in America. I found it amazing to see so many different people in one place at a moment. Once off the boat, I walked with all the others, into a building. In there, we were tested for various illnesses and we took a survey. I saw several people get taken into a room with other sick people. I felt terrible for them. They were about to be further tested and if their tests showed that they were sick, they would be sent back to their homelands. Most of my day was spent waiting in line. I took a survey with 29 questions and also was checked to see if I had 25 dollars. This was understandable. America does not want immigrants to come and then live on the streets. I talked with a friend throughout our time on Ellis Island and he told me various things about the area. He said that he had heard of a concept called Nativism where immigrants would be treated unfairly because they are different than Americans. I hope that this is a lie. When I was done, I was taken to shore and I was officially living in America! As I began to walk, I saw people being unusually kind to immigrants and somewhat bribing them. My friend said that these people were offering kickbacks. He said that these people would make an immigrant feel very welcome and appreciative and then turn and use the immigrants to help them get what they want. I felt bad for any person that would fall into the trap. I realized that I was in a new country with no job, place to live, or family. I am going to live in New York City with some other friends. We are going to live in a Row House. The house is in an ethnic neighborhood of Neapolitans. Most immigrants prefer to live in neighborhoods with others like them because it gives a feeling of security and acceptance. I am so excited to be here. God has surely blessed me!
We finally arrived. I thought that the day would never come. The last week on the ship has been difficult, Reagen, my best friend, my only friend I have, died. it was sudden and unexpected, she showed no sign of sickness before she passed. But, I have to move on, I'm in the land of opportunity. Upon arrival, I was walking up the steps and thrust into a long line.the line was so slow. I was scared and alone, until i met Brian O'Riely and his brother. They were kind Irish men from the same town i was from. I told them my story and they generously invited me to live with them. I felt comfortable for the first time in a long time and was excited about my future in America.
When we make it to the front of the line, to grumpy man asks us for our passports and money. I thought they were going to take my money but he said it was just to make sure we had money to live in the country. As we moved to the next table, another unhappy man asks us if we are anarchist. I didn't know what this term anarchist meant so i just said no. Brian and his brother did too. The nest line we were pushed in was to test if we were all literate. They asked me what two plus two was, I said four and then they asked me to draw a diamond. After we all completed this, they sent us along to the next line. This line was awful. I was violated by a man i had never met before. He said it was just standard procedure. I was very uncomfortable, but luckily it didn't take that long.
As we were waiting for the next station in the next line, I couldn't help but notice that the man in front of us was marked with and X and taken out of the line. Brian's brother said that he was to be taken and tested for mental illness. I was so grateful that I wasn't taken out of the line, it had already taken the greater half of the day to get this far and there was more people in this line then any other. I was getting restless and we were all STARVING. When we got to the front of the line they had background checks on all of us. After some time of them reading our information, we were asked our names. Brian was the first to go, saying he was Brian O'Riely, I guess he assumed I was his wife and wrote, on my citizenship papers, that my name was Chloe O'Riely. When I told him that this was not my name he said it is now and told me to carry on. At last we were done! I had never been so relieved to get out of a building in my whole entire life. I will never return to this Island again as long as i live.
Me, Chole O'Conner getting off the ship.
May 25th 1904
Well at least the trip wasn't the five months that I was told. After three weeks on that cramped ship I'm here, Ellis Island! I'm so close to being in America. So far I've passed all the tests. The tests are easy compared to the Chinese tests, since the Chinese Exclusion Act, or at least that's what I've heard. They tested me for all kinds of illnesses like tuberculosis and I'm pretty sure for mental diseases. While I walked up the stairs a man put an "X" on my chest and I was removed from the line. I was taken in to a room and asked quite simple questions. They asked me what two plus two is and if I could draw a diamond. I did them without hesitation. They let me continue on through their processing.
May 26th 1904
I was glad to hear that all my paper work checked out and I was now allowed I to America. I'm going to settle in New York. It's a big city and I think it will be easy to find a job and a place to stay. I checked out some dumbbell Tenements and some row Houses and they were way too expensive for me to own by myself. I will have to find another place to sleep. I found a German ethnic neighborhood and it looked like a nice place. It reminded me so much of Germany. Oh how I miss it! But I am glad I am here. America has become a melting pot, with all the different ethnic groups. Unfortunately immigrants are not as welcome as I had wished. The hostility towards immigrants is terrible. I can tell that they really don't want us here. All well they are just going to have to suck it up and live with us because I am here to stay and to make a living!
Hans Göthe
Today we got to Ellis Island, just before we got to the docks my dad asked a friend we made on the boat (Alvise) if our 23 dollars would be enough money to get us in America. He said we would need 25 but not to worry that he would led us 2 for taking care of him when he had been sea sick on the voyage over, we thanked him greatly for his great kindness. Once we got there we were allowed off of the boat, which felt great to walk on solid ground. If I have my way I will never get on another boat in my life. When my dad and I step off the boat and on to the dock I see hundreds of people going up this giant stairs that lead to the doors. I don't really get the Americans it seems really pointless to have us climb stairs after the long boat ride were we were always getting knocked off our feet. Then again we were in America so I was happy.Once inside we came upon a line that looked as if it went on forever. It took forever for us to get to the front and once we did we were taken aside and had a doctor poke and prob us. Then we were given a piece of paper with a literacy test on it. (Lucky me I had befriended an American business man when I lived in Italy and he had taught me some English so I was able to get me and my dad a passing score). Then they asked my and I if we were anarchists or not. We said "no"and then showed them our $25 ( thanks to the 2 dollars Alvise gave us).
Once we got off of Ellis Island my dad said that it would be best to find a place to in an Italian ethnic neighborhood. He said that it would be easier for us to get used to America around other Italians, and I frankly agreed with him. We then decided that we didn't have the money to live anywhere else other then New York so we set off to find a home. Once we found a Italian neighborhood we started to look at the different houses, Dumbbell tenements or Row houses. The Dumbbell tenements we saw were extremely filthy, but the Row houses were to expensive. We ended up settling in a room in a Dumbbell tenement. Tomorrow we will set off to find jobs so we can start to earn some money.
-Ciro Chiarin
March 26, 1904
Finally! We've reached Ellis Island! I am so relieved to know that I can get off this boat. My muscles are very sore and cramped. I need to stretch my legs and feel the breeze on my face. I grabbed my only belongings and got off the shop as soon as possible. After the boat docked we got off and right after the dock was a huge flight of stairs! Back in Russia, I had wrestled so I was pretty fit for my age. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. There were men at the top of the stairs with chalk. I didn't know what they were doing but they didn't even bother with me. At the top of the stairs, there were also men who did stop me. They asked me for my passport, my documents, they asked me if I was an anarchist, I had to take a comprehension test, and they made sure I had twenty-five dollars for myself. I had all my documents, I'm not an anarchist, and I passed the test so they let me pass through and finally, I was in America! I was so astonished at all the new things there were that I had never even heard of. I needed to buckle down and get focused. I needed to find a job and fast. Child labor will probable be the easiest work to find. So I'll do that until I can find a better job. Tomorrow I'll start my new life. A fresh start.
-Gregor Kozlov
July 6, 1900
I could already tell that life in America would be a challenge. As soon as I got to the island, people started running out of the ship like a herd of animals. The family I roomed with were some of those who didn't run out, so I carried their items while they dealt with the children. The youngest boy Luke, had taken quite a liking to me. It didn't bother the parents, Alice and Konrad, to much because it let them deal with their other two children. While I admit, it was a challenge carrying my own things, their things, and making sure Luke didn't wander off anywhere, I was happy to help the couple. When we finally made our way through the crowds, we made it to the "testing grounds". Or at least, that's what I called it after I finally passed these little tests. First of all, we had to climb up these giant stairs. It was a easy walk for me, it was like working at home. Only there was much more people around me. it was strange because the people who were struggling, were taken off to the side and were given a mark on their hand. I didn't bother asking questions, I had more important things to do. After making it to the very top, we had to read this passage of a book. I had already learned some English so it wasn't much trouble. Following that annoying reading test, they started asking questions like if I was Anarchists , I didn't even know what that was so I answered no to the question. They also kept asking if I was Chinese, because I wasn't allowed in if I was. What was it, some kind of Chinese Exclusion Act going on or something? These tests to get into America were so strange.
After a day full of tests I had finally got to the end of the line. The final question was if I had $25. Of course I had the money! Did they think I was poor or something? At the crowd at the end, I finally met back up with the family. Luke was happy to see his family again, plus people stopped looking at me strange. They must've thought he was my child or something. It didn't really matter to much.I said a final good-bye to most of the family before I was pulled over by Konrad. He said that he knew some people that could help me out if I ever needed it. I didn't understand it to much, but it seemed like useful info.
I made sure I had my things as I continued towards the city in front of me. As I was walking I heard someone call my name. I turned around, and much to my surprise it was my sister, Cecelia! I could hardly believe she was able to pick me out from this crowd. I personally thought I had changed alot since she last say me when I was 7, I was 19 now and I barely looked like what I did when I was younger. She looked that same to me, but that's just my opinion. We caught up on old times as we headed towards her apartment. Apparently she lived in buildings known as Dumbbell Tenements which looked things called "dumbbells", whatever those are. Around the block, there was some houses known as Row Houses which looked just like what they were called. Also, judging from what she said, she was good friends with a women known as Jane Adams. Apparently she created something known as Settlement Houses. I didn't really care about the other people, I was just happy to be in America with my sister.
-Gabriel Polowski
_
March 7th 1901
Dear Diary,
Heinrich is sleeping soundly in my arms after a long day at Ellis Island. We got off the ship at 6 a.m this morning and Heinrich was bouncing up and down at the joy of finally seeing the blue sky again. We got off the boat and started to make our way towards the bigs doors of the immigrant building. When we walked inside, we immediately had to start walking up stairs. All around us were hungry eyed Americans who had pens in their hands, and were looking to see if we were sick. I remember looking up at the sun and having a small sneeze; immediately a man came up to me and marked me with something I didn't understand. Then he handed Heinrich to Ingolf, and rushed me immediately up to a room where a doctor was waiting with a couple of other patients, including Mrs. Köenig and her 6 year old daughter. He looked at Mrs. Köenig's daughter and announced her ill with tuberculosis. Then Mrs. Köenig started weeping while the doctor and the security guard started escorting her and her daughter back to the boat. Then the doctor took my arm and rushed me forward to the place he worked. He listened to my lungs for a few seconds and then pronounced me healthy. Then, he muttled something about nativism and how all the immigrants were poisoning the perfect English, Protestant society. The security guard then whisked me away and led me over to the place where my Ingolf and Heinrich were standing. We grabbed our luggage and checked our self in at the gate. They asked us several stuff like were we anarchists (people who were against government), who is the president of the United States (Theodore Roosevelt), and do we have $25 to start ourselves off. We all answered the questions, and then they gave us cards with English on it and asked us to read it. We read it, translated it to German and then they let us pass. After they fed us, they finally announced that we were able to leave. As Heinrich, Ingolf and I walked out the door, a man came up to us and introduced him as Adalrich Weiß and explained to us (in German!) how he was a representative of Tammany Hall, an excellent political work machine, here to help us get through our time of need. He offered his service for Ingolf, explaining that he could help us find a dumbell tenement, a necessary starter-off apartment to live in. Plus he said that there was an excellent sweat shop was near by, a place where Ingolf can work as well as I, as soon as I have my baby. So this is how I wound up here tonight, in this small apartment of a dumbell tenement. I have to admit, it's not very comfortable here. There are cracks in the wall and there's an awful oder all around us, but to me, it's home. Even as my back aches, noise pollution seeps through the walls, and the oder creeps up on you, the excitement I contain now, over shadows the task at hand.
Bis dan auf Wiedersehen!
Brigitta Kohn
March 24th, 1911
Bailey Doyle
11:22 am:
We just arrived in Ellis Island, I've never hated anything as much as I hated the Cunard Steamship. But, we're getting off it now, about to get inside and "go through the process of becoming a citizen" (Pa's words). Hopefully it won't take too long.
6:00 pm:
Seriously? Seriously?! That is my welcome to America? Ellis Island was the worst thing ever. When we got off the ship, they pinned numbers on our clothes and told us to wait in line. While we were waiting for the hundreds of people ahead of us, we first on the stairs got checked for health by officials, and some people (not my family) we saw were marked with blue chalk. Throughout the day, we were asked questions - like if we were anarchists, if we had twenty five dollars, and then questions that you could tell only educated people could answer. Mum, Pa and I answered them fine, but the people who couldn't were marked with colored chalk. If you were marked with chalk, that meant bad news, and you were taken out of the line. No more America for you.
Immigrants told us scary stories about things like the Chinese Exclusion Act, racism, and horrible conditions in America. Weren't we trying to get away from those things? Today i saw families torn apart, grown men crying, I even had to see a birth of a baby by a pregnant woman. It took six hours, SIX hours for everyone to get through. That was horrible. Never again.
We'll be living in New York City, apparently it's cheaper there and easier to get jobs. I really hope so, I would love it if we left Bangor for a good reason. I'm ready for America!
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Entry 2
Last week we arrived at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Everybody was happy to be off the boat and in America. We had to go through a series of tests to be accepted into America. The men at the island asked if we had 25 dollars. They also checked everyone for disease, and if they suspected you, they put a letter on you so you would get closely inspected. We had to take a literacy test and were asked if we were anarchists. Supposedly a person who wanted disorder and no government killed a president. We passed all of the tests, so we were let into the country. We had already decided to stay in New York before we left Russia because it was close to the port and there were a lot of opportunities. While we were walking off, a man came up to us. He introduced himself as Joe Callan. He said he would help us get the things we needed. First he took us to an ethnic neighborhood. It is an area where there are other Jewish people, and we can be more comfortable doing our customs. In these neighborhoods, he took us to a dumbbell tenement. He said we would have to rent a room with a lot of other people and that some of the tenements were dangerous, but we should be fine. He told us to go to settlement houses, where volunteers would teach us English and skills for working. Before he left, he told us that it was Boss Tweed who was responsible for the help, and that we should vote for him on election day. I don't like our tenement very much because it is so unsanitary, but it is all we can afford right now. I hope we will eventually move into a row house. Even though they aren't the safest, they have more space for us to live in. David went to a settlement house and learned a lot in just one day, so I really want to go to one.-Vladimir Putin
Dear Journal,
Today is the tenth of June, 1911. I'm in America now, but when I first arrived, I was amazed. Anne and I were in our cabin playing with Aiden when we heard joyous screaming and "whoooo"ing. We thought it had something to do with a disease leaving someone, or someone was married. But when we went up onto the deck to look at what was happening, there was a misty fog. As we traveled right into the fog, a tall figure came into sight. the figure looked more and more like a woman. Then suddenly, I recognized who this woman was and why she was in the middle of the water. She was the Statue of Liberty. She was the final signal of our arriving in America. I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. When she was standing as tall and beautiful as ever. Anne and I were both in shock at how amazing it was to finally arrive in America.
The process of getting onto Ellis Island was really different than I imagined. When we got off the ship, it was very crowded because many other ships had docked the same time we did. First they separated the men and women. I was very nervous because the Duffy family were the only people I knew. I didnt know if I would be seperated from them. It took a while to be accepted into America. We had to go through a series of tests. There was really big staircase that we had to travel up. I made sure i stayed with Anne the whole time. We guessed that we passed the medical examination because a lady that was behind us was coughing really hard and someone put a large "X" on her shoulder. After we arrived at the top of the stairs, we had to take a legal examination. This man asked my name and I told him, and I saw him right it down. He also asked me what my occupation was, and how much money I had (he asked if I had $25 on me), and if I have ever committed a crime. While Anne and I waited to take the literacy tests, this lady started talking to us. She was saying that her husband was already in America and all the things he's told her about America. She warned us that her husband said to stay clear of Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring. She said that we will be much better off if we stay away from that type of organization. We finally got through to the literacy test, they made sure we could read and sing our names. Anne and and her mom finally met up with her dad and brother. We were finally accepted into America. I was scared and excited at this moment. I was thinking, "will I stay with Anne and her family, or is this the end of our friendship?" Anne told me that her parents decided to stay in New York because they didn't want to waste anymore time transporting to another state. I was so scared to be on my own, but the Duffys assured me that I could live with them. I was so grateful, so I offered to help them pay rent. Since we were going to live in row houses instead of dumbbell tenements, it will cost more for a family of five to live there. I offered, but they refused, they said I'm as much of a child to them as Anne or Aiden. But I was determined to help pay somehow.
-Isolde Caldwell
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The first thing I saw of America was the Statue of Liberty, she was supposed to be a good sign of hope, but she scared me. When we finally got off the boat the feel of dry land was completely foreign to me. There were many other immigrants in Ellis Island.
We walked up a long stair case and we had to wait to have another medical exam. Right before his exam, Allen had a coughing fit; I was so scared that he wouldn't be allowed to become an American. Right before the doctor examined him he was able to catch his breath and stop coughing, but I was still worried he wouldn’t be allowed to come, luckily I was just over reacting and the doctor said he was fine. Although the doctors said that my family was fine, I saw many people being carted off to a holding area when the doctors said that they weren’t okay. To become Americans we also had to go through a mental test.
The people at Ellis Island checked all of our documents and made sure that we had our 25 dollars. My family was questioned and we were even asked if we were anarchists. Everyone in my family could read enough to pass the reading test, but I felt badly for those who couldn’t read and got turned away.
We were on Ellis Island for 2 days. We were served noodles with tomato sauce and bread. I was thankful it was better than the food that was served on the boat. Patrick had been living in New York City and that was where we were going to live too, because we had heard the best place to get a job was in the city. We finally became citizens and we all got certificates that said that we were American, but I still felt Irish.
Bridget Ann Liston
June 10, 1911
Today we finally got off the boat at Ellis Island. The island was very crowded and the process it took to enter America took very long. While we were waiting, we talked to a lady whose husband was already in America. She said that her husband told her about Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring. She told us that at first, it seems like they will help you get adjusted to life in America very easily but they slowly start to get control of your role in politics and you can't get out. Once we finally started the processing into America, they split the men from the women and children. We only hopped that we would be able to find each other again. We all avoided getting sick on the ship so we passed the medical inspection without a problem. We avoided being marked by an "X" so none of us had to go through any of the mental inspections. Once we came to the end of the Registry Room, we had to go through a legal examination. They asked us questions like what our names are, what our occupation is, how much money we have and if we had ever committed a crime. After this examination, we had to take a literacy test, and then show that we had $25 dollars and then we were free to go. It took a while, but once we were done with all of our tests, we found father and are now leaving the island. We have decided that, for now, we will be staying in New York City because we do not want to spend any more time on some other type of transportation. It will just be easy to stay here.
-Anne Duffy
We’ve been living here for two weeks now. We’re living in a dumbbell tenements with many other people. My father and brother have been living here since they first arrived. My mother hates it. She told my father he needs to get us into one of the row houses in an ethnic neighborhood. She wants to be in a neighborhood she can feel comfortable in. She even said she was happier when we first arrived.
When we got to the stairs people were already beginning to look at us as if judging us. My father told us it was for health inspections, so my mother told my little brother to look healthy and happy. He was neither. Once at the top of the steps we were asked questions like if we were anarchists. My brother told us to say no, because it was someone that wanted anarchy, and they wouldn’t let any anarchist in the country due to the death of a president. What is anarchy?
My brother coughed while reading for his intelligence examination, so he was marked with a little white X. With that X my mother had to go with him for further health inspections and I was left to sit and wait for the two. Looking around I noticed there were many, many different people. It almost reminded me of a pot. With many things in it, all melting together. Oh, I’m understanding the term my brother told me many americans called America : melting pot.
I had to sit and wait for a very long time. It felt like a lifetime, it felt longer than the trip itself. We were so close to America and my father, but we were stuck inside. I was fearful we’d have to be put on another ship. I wouldn’t mind going home, but I wasted all that time to come here. I feel I should at least get a small glimpse of what America is. Plus, I would not enjoy being stuck on another boat with those bad things for another two weeks. I need a break from the horrible. I couldn’t wait to see my father and my brother, but I was told I must. It seems like my younger brother is always getting into troubles of some sort.
After waiting for so long, my brother and mother finally came and we were ready to walk out into America. My father was waiting for us! It was so exciting to see him! Now, we’re all living together again, with some extras.
Another argument about the living arrangement is about to erupt. I must stop my writing.
Yeva
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Eckhart Schenck
July, 1910
Upon arrival at Ellis Island in New York City, the steerage passengers on the "zwishendeck" were forced to wait for an unsinnig crazy length of time. Overall my screening lasted about 5 hours. The observers gave me a quick medical examination, upon finding that I was healthy they sent me further on in the process. I was asked to prove I wasn't verzögert, imagine, they thought I was mentally defictiant. Well I passed their puzzle and arithmetic tests. I grew quite worried when they were doing a background check on my past in Hamburg. Luckily no one had reported me as my alcoholic self. They also asked me if I was an anarchist. I wasn't sure how to answer this question, but when I saw them drag a befürworter der anarchie back to the ship, I was convinced that no, was the answer. I was asked where I was going to settle, when I told them I was unsure, they told me about many housing facilities. The screeners suggested I stay in a German ethnic neighborhood, or a row house. I was quick to decide I wanted to stay in the presence of Americans so I felt that a row house would be better for me. I soon found out that if I was going to settle in Ney York like I wished to, that I would have to stay in a dumbell tenement. The dumbell tenements were much cheaper then the row houses. A dumbell tenement was also much cheaper then moving to an outlying area.
April 11 1910
Carol Lorenzini
We are finally in America, but it is not as happy an occasion as I would have hoped. The island of Tears is most certainly the correct name for Ellis Island. Processing was one of the most stressful and frightening things that I have ever been through. Once we got off of the boat everyone was led toward the processing center. As Rosalia and I walked up a small flight of stairs toward the officials who would decide our fate I noticed a line of men on either side of the stairway just... staring...
`Suddenly a women in front of us with three young children coughed. Two officials came from either side of the stairs and tapped her roughly on the shoulder. She looked fearfully at them and and one of them said in harsh, cold English "Come with us." She hesitated, then complied bringing her three young children with her.
I was sure that they taken her because she had coughed, and I wished to lean down towards little Rosalia and warn her against the action. However fear of being overheard stopped me.
"Where did she go mama?" Rosalia asked. I looked down at my little girl, so small and new to this world and a thought suddenly hit me. What if something happened to me or Emolio, my husband, and she was forced into child labor at this young age. I had heard stories of such things happening... But what nonsense! Her father and I are healthy and she will not have to work for a while... maybe we could even get her into school...
" They just needed to ask her some questions darling." I replied. This may have been true, I wasn't really sure. Rosalia took my word for it.
As we got closer to our destination in line, I checked my pockets to make sure I had all of the necessary paperwork to get through. I had both of our Passports and all of the documentation I thought I needed, but I as still nervous.
It was our turn for processing now.
" I need your Documentation and name." said a man shortly in English.
I took my documents out of my bag and looked up at the man who would either be my salvation, or executioner. I handed him my papers and said as clearly as I could in English, " My name is Carol Lorenzini and this is my Daughter Rosalia. He nodded uncaring,and wrote down the information given. Then he looked carefully at our passports... I held my breath.
He closed the passports and handed it back to me. " Are you an anarchist Mrs. Lorzini? I ignored the mispronunciation of my name and said "no." He asked me many other questions in the short span of time that felt like an hour, and many I had a hard time answering because I wasn't exactly sure what he was saying. He inquired about my health, Rosalia's health, whether or not Rosalia could speak English, if we could work, if we had family... He had a doctor examine us to make sure we were healthy, and finally he asked me to show him 20$ Rather than question this I immediately took it out and showed it to him, hoping to god that he wouldn't take it. He didn't, but said " welcome to America." I was ecstatic! We had finally made it, we were here, I would get to see my husband again. Now all that was left to do was to find a house, although I knew it wouldn't be an excellent one. I had never seen a dumbbell tenement or a row house, but we were still here! This happiness only lasted until we arrived at the kissing gate... I could not find my husband. I still cannot find him, and I have no time to search.
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Day 15
We arrived at Ellis. After getting my stuff together I started to get off the boat. There was a long line and doctors checking every part of everyone. If they assumed something to be wrong with a person they would be marked and sent to the doctors. I got through just fine. Then I got off the ship to another building where they would ask questions and ask for our passports. If you were an anarchist they would send you back home. I have to end up sleeping on the streets tonight. Tomorrow I will start searching for the new way to live my life. People have also been moving in from the country to the city. They are calling this urbanization; it makes good sense to me, because in the city, you wouldn’t have to pay for as many things. I’m thinking it would be better for me to stay in row houses which are a group of buildings connected together. Although I am on the streets I am happy to be in America
Fineas
Day 16
I have moved into a row house, but still have not found a job, many factories are part taking in child labor making it harder for jobs because these children and willing to work for less. But New York is a big city with many opportunities so it should not be too hard of a task. I am tired, tomorrow will be a big day.
Fineas
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February 5th, 1893
I’ve been on Ellis Island for 2 days now. The island had a huge swell of immigrants as 3 ships came in yesterday, so it’s taking quite some time to process all of us. I cannot wait to enter America, but I’m frightened at the same time. When I arrived, I was pushed with a huge crowd up path with men marking people’s backs with chalk. I saw the woman walking with her her seven children next to me get marked, but I could not tell with what. I was very confused and didn’t know what the marks meant, and when I didn’t get one I was worried. I later found out these marks were for people who might have diseases that could get them sent all the way back home, you could imagine my relief when I found out that the chalk marks were really a bad thing. My inspection took a few hours. I being by myself, I had to go through a huge ordeal, and I think at least 7 different men checked my birth certificate. During the beginning of my inspection, I saw a poor Russian woman getting drug away by the inspectors, and she was screaming “No! No! You can’t send me back home!” I could see a man, likely her husband sitting very distressed and upset on a bench with two small babies, and a little toddler. I looked confused at the guard and he told me that woman had Tuberculosis, and was not permitted to enter America; but her husband and three kids were. By that point I was very scared. I remembered a day when I coughed on the boat quite a bit, and couldn’t imagine getting sent all the way back home on that foul wretched boat. Soon after that, I was sent to the health inspection. It was very fast, to my surprise. The men looked me over very quickly, asked my name, and then sent me on. My mother had sent me on with 25 dollars before I left, which I was against due to the little amount of money my parents had, but she said I’ll need it, and at my net inspection I understood why. A man asked if I had 25 dollars, to ensure I wouldn’t become a bum on the streets of New York, where I planned to stay. I showed him my money, expecting him to take it, but he just looked at it and sent me on. Throughout the day I had to answer twenty more or so questions about myself, including if I was an anarchist. I didn’t even know what that was, but I recalled my mother telling me before I got on board the boat very briefly if asked that question to answer no. I didn’t have time to ask her why. My inspection was complete, and I was sent to some bunks, being told I’d be allowed over to America soon. I lost Elizabeth sometime after we got off the boat. Her and her family was being brought here and there for inspection and I was being brought other places, and I haven’t seen her since. I’ve been trying to decide what I’m going to do when I arrive in New York. New York is really the only American city I’ve heard of, and I heard it has a lot of jobs available, so I’m choosing to stay there. My neighbor, Julia, who had heard from her husband who is here in America already looking for jobs, educated me about where to live. She said there were ethnic neighborhoods, where I would be with many other Italians, and there was also Dumbbell Tenements. Her husband had said both were equally terrible, describing the tenements as overcrowded, foul smelling, and people were throwing trash out the window. I’m already not looking forward to living spaces in America, they sound just like the boat. Well I just got word that it’s time to head into New York, I’m so excited!
Olivia Bruce
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February 7th, 1893
We arrived at Ellis Island four days ago. Seeing that large women statue got my mother all excited, she says it’s called the Statue of Liberty. I don’t know why it’s there though. When we arrived at Ellis Island we had to get off the ship and walk up these extremely large set of stairs. And while everyone is walking up there are people on the sides marking xs on you. I didn’t get one, and no one else in my family did either. But my mother said it was for if they thought you were sick they would put an X on you can check you. We had to get medical exams anyway though, just to make sure. Everyone in my family was clean. We also had to go through these legal inspections. We had to take a literally test to make sure we could read and write some English. I heard them ask my mother if she had 25 dollars and asked her if she was an anarchist. They asked me to, and since I didn’t know that that was I just shook my head no. My mother and father said we were just going to stay in New York and live in an ethnic neighborhood with other Italian people who had immigrated and decided to stay in New York. She said it was just easier money wise and she just didn’t have the strength to travel anywhere else. When we met up with father we were all so happy to see him. My mother had all sorts of questions for him. He told us how he started off living in a dumbbell tenement with other men who were waiting for the rest of their family members to come over. He also said he had some troubles starting off at first and then he went to a settlement house and they taught him all the skills he needed to find a job and make a living for his family; he told me that at night when I say my prayers I should thank Jane Adams. I asked him who that was and he said she was the one who started all the settlement houses which helped him pick him off his feet. He drove us to our new home, there were in long rows. They were called row houses. The area was disgusting. There was trash and sewage all over the place. But I guess it’s better than nothing and I’m just happy to have a roof over our heads.
-Elizabeth H
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March 22nd, 1906
We reached Ellis Island today. Toliv is asleep in my arms and I am waiting in line to get my documents checked. I passed the physical exam, thank the lord. I have heard many people talking about where they are going to live. Row houses and settlement houses are popular among my fellow immigrants. Many families around me have many children. I believe those children will work to make money for their families. Child labor is a normal thing in Russia as well, but I want my son to be able to get an education and not have to work until he is an adult. Many people have also told me about Tammany hall and something called the Tweed Ring. Tammany Hall helps immigrants, they say. I hope I am helped out by these people. A woman told me about her sister who moved to America and got a kickback from Tammany Hall, as long as she voted for them. It seemed like a good deal to me. I also found out a woman named Jane Adams started the settlement houses.
My documents passed. They asked if I was an anarchist, which I am not. I saw some people getting turned back toward the boats. I felt sorry for them, but I am happy to finally be in America.
Nadia Alekseev
October 17, 1907
I made it to the Americas today! We got off at Ellis Island with hundreds of other people. It really smells from everyone being on the ship for what seems like forever, but is really more like three weeks. They made us walk up a whole bunch of stairs first thing and it felt good to finally get to stretch my legs. I'm worried about Sis, she's still weak from all that time being sick on the ship. I see some tough looking people staring at everyone with chalk in the hands and walking up to random people and draw on their clothes. I squish real close to Sis and hope they don't notice her when I finally figured out they're marking the people that look sick and tired. We are luck and no one notices when we walk past. We are now in a giant hall with more people than I have ever seen in my life. After waiting in line for what seemed like forever they finally got to us. They asked Mama, me and Sis, lots of questions like if we were anarchists, I didn’t know what an anarchist was though and I said no. I asked Mama later and she said they were people that didn't believe in a government and that didn't make sense to me. How could you not have a government to lead you? Then they asked us to do some stuff like draw a diamond on some paper then we were in the city of Manhattan. This is where Papa was and he met us at what people called the "kissing post" when we were actually leaving Ellis Island. I was so happy to leave and run into Papas arms. He seemed tired and dirty but still himself. He told us of this row house we were going to move into with my cousins and their parents in an Irish ethnic neighborhood. I soon found out a row house was this tiny little house next to a whole bunch of other ones that looked just like it. The "ethnic neighborhood" only had a whole bunch of other Irish and it reminded me of home a lot, only a lot more cramped and dirty. Papa tells me that tomorrow we would have to go off and work at a factory. Other people call it child labor and it sounds scary and I'm glad me and Sis are doing it together so at least we won't be alone. I must go and help get settled in the room I'm sharing with Sis and my cousins.
Mary Kearney
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December 23, 1892
I've been in America for 21 days now. The trip was well worth it. I am now writing from my dumbbell tenement, which I may say is much better than that dark, musty ship, but far from lavish. People dump their trash out of the windows, there is a lot of pollution from the factories, and the water is not very good. Ellis Island was quite the experience. There were hundreds of people from all over Europe; I felt so small and insignificant. Since I wasn't completely sure of where I needed to go, I tried to follow the crowd the best I could. Right when I got off the ship, a man tagged a number to my shirt. Everyone was getting tagged, so I figured it wasn't a bad thing that I got a tag. There were immigration workers pointing us in the direction that we needed to go. We made our way up the steep steps and were met by a whole crowd of doctors in white jackets. They were marking people with chalk, but I wasn't really sure why. I overheard someone saying that the sick people had to go through a different inspection. If that was the case, I was glad that I hadn't caught an illness on the trip over. Then I got in line to be inspected by the legal inspectors. While I was in line, I overheard a couple of men talking about the American immigration officials not allowing Chinese people into Angel Island in San Francisco due to the Chinese Exclusion Act. I had no way of knowing if this was true or not, but either way, at that moment I was glad I was French. When I got to the front of the line, a man asked me some questions about my legal documents, my intelligence, my destination, if I had twenty-five dollars, and whether or not I was an anarchist. After that lengthy questioning was over, I made my way down the "Stairs of Separation." The officials wouldn't let me go through because I was a single woman. They told me I needed to wait for my relatives, but when I explained to them my story they let me go with another family that overheard me talking to the official and who offered to take me in. I graciously accepted their offer. The young family happened to be French as well; there was Bernard and Camille, and their two young boys Tristan and Thierry. They were so generous and offered to let me live with them in a small, French ethnic neighborhood. Bernard explained me that they were not wealthy enough to afford a row house, so we would be living in a small dumbbell tenement. I was not about to complain about my accommodations in New York. Just hours earlier, I had no idea where I was going to live, but Bernard and Camille solved that problem. As we settled in, Camille told me that three days a week she would be going to a settlement house. She told me that it would probably be a good idea for me to go along with her. In line at Ellis Island I had heard about these settlement houses, where people learn English, practice job skills, and meet other immigrants, especially Hull House in Chicago founded by Jane Addams, so I figured they must be pretty nice places to go if they were being so highly talked about. I tried to help out around the tenement as best I could, cleaning, washing the laundry, and taking care of the young boys. I know I need to repay the family somehow, so my next order of business is to get a job. I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but I'll figure it out soon. All I know is that right now my stomach is begging me for some food. I'm going to get some coffee and biscuits.
Fifi Miette Laroque
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Dear Journal,August 6, 1912 Today I arrived at Ellis Island. The entire trip took around a week and a half. When I arrived and was walking up the stairs there were many people in white and they had chalk. They were walking around looking at people which I thought was a medical exam. It took 45 minutes for me to get checked out by them. They checked my mouth and looked into my eyes to make sure I was healthy. After I went through the medical exam, I met a man who checked my passport and he asked me if I was a anarchist, but I said no because I believe a government keeps people organized. After I had my passport checked I went through another hallway where everyone was writing stuff down. I soon figured out that it was a test to see whether I could read or not. After waiting in line I got my test and then a translator that speaked norweigan came over and made sure that i could read in norweigan and asked if I could speak any english which I cant besides a couple of words. The translator also asked me if I was going to stay in New York and I told him about how I was going to stay in a row house with my friend Irvan. He told me that the area where the house was is a ethnic neighborhood which I thought was nice. He told me goodluck and I was on my way to the next checkup. The next checkup went very quickly because all they did was check to see if I had 25 dollars which I did so I was finally done with Ellis Island. When I finally got my first real look at New York i was fascinated with the city. After a quick glance I was on my way to a settlement house to get some information about this town.
Arwed Eriksson
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March 26, 1893
It has been along day. We got to America early this morning, and now it is almost the next day. We have been going through, what mom called the immigration inspection. She said we are immigrants, people who move into a new country. She called America the melting pot, because there were so many of us immigrants. I don't know if I like being called an immigrant, but that is what I am and I can't change that. We were the next to last ones to get off the boat because we were at the bottom of the ship. The animals had to wait for us to get off before they could. When we were getting of the ship a man was standing on a box yelling, "Welcome to Ellis Island. Line up here to start your immigration process!". Behind the man there was the biggest set of stairs I have ever seen! There were three sections that seemed to stretch to eternity. I didn't think I would be able to make it, but I was so excited to see what was on the other side, that I started sprinting up them. I didn't make it very far. Annemarie tried to follow me, but she couldn't keep up. By the time mom and Annemarie made it to the top I was still catching my breath. In front of us was person after person, lined up with all their possessions. Once we got to the front of the line a man in a white coat came over and looked us all up and down, moved us around, made sure we were in one piece I guess. Mom said they were the doctors who checked for diseases so people wouldn't bring new diseases into the new country. Then mom had to fill out this paper with lots of questions. She read a few out loud. "Are you an anarchist?" she said. I asked her what in the world that was and she said it was someone who believed people didn't need a government to keep them organized. She had to answer a whole bunch of questions about who she was, who she was married to, what job she had had. When we were finally done going through all the men with nice jackets, we went outside to what was called "The Kissing Post". Then I saw daddy! I ran up to him and hugged him tight as he picked me up. It was so good to see him. When mommy got there they kissed the longest I have ever seen them kiss. Around the kissing post there were people who didn't like us and were yelling at us saying we didn't belong there. Mom said it was nativism, people who were against immigrants and just not to mind them, because they didn't matter. Someone from Tammany Hall came up to us and offered us housing, and jobs. We told them we already had a place to live but we needed jobs. So, Robert was his name, said he would help mom and I get a job. I didn't know I needed a job and mom said it wasn't right to have a 13 year old work, but Robert said that many children worked. Child labor was common and we needed the money. Daddy took us home. He took us to what is called a dumbbell tenement in New York City. I thought that sounded really funny. Who would want to live in a dumbbell. It had one window and we had to share a bathroom with a whole bunch of people. We had a kitchen and two rooms. Annemarie and I would have to share a bed, but it was better than having to share an area on the floor like our old home. I am going to go to bed now. It has been exhausting getting to America. I am glad I am finally here.-Anneliese Fuessel
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Entry 1: June, 1 1897
Dear Journal,
It is bright and sunny out as we arrive at Ellis Island. As I make my way to the top of the ship I find my wife and son waiting for me near the exit of the boat. On the journey here they kept the men separate from the women and children because of disease. We exited the boat hand in hand. The officials from Ellis Island lead us to an indoor area where many other Italians were located. We were standing around for about 15 minutes when someone called “Mantle!” and motioned for us to come over. They sat us down and handed me and Rosalie a test, it was written in English but they had a translator for us. Some of the questions on the test were; were we anarchists, why did we come to America, our religious preference and some others. After we submitted our test we went into another room with doctors and medicine. Each of us was examined. Once we were finished, we went into a final room and waited about 2 hours. Eventually we went up to the counter and were approved to enter America. They asked me at the counter if I had a preference of where I wanted to live. They showed me pictures of dumbbell tenements, row houses, and settlement houses in certain ethnic neighborhoods. Rosalie and I chose a nice row house out in the New York country side; due to urbanization we didn’t want to live in the big city.
-Mickey Mantle
October 10th, 1910
I haven't written in awhile. My mother and I have been kept very busy with work around the apartment: cleaning, cooking, and watching the boys. My father's job has kept him extremely busy also. Speaking of his job, apparently he manages and watches over the people, usually women, who make and sew shirtwaists at the factory. I don't really know why he makes as much money as he does for observing the production of a clothing item, but if it keeps us in our apartment, I'm not going to complain.
I'm so glad we aren't on that ship anymore. The trip was completely horrible. Joseph's seasickness never went away; he puked at least once every day. Henry and John continued their fighting, and they both caught a cold about a week after we left Ireland. Thankfully when we entered port at Ellis Island, their colds had subsided. I'm not entirely sure what would have happened had they not, but I did see a woman who received a "T" stamp on her medical card get sent back down the many stairs that lead from the dock to dry land. Her children were sent somewhere else entirely, and the woman was crying very hard and screaming a lot. I felt bad for her, but I was so glad no one in my family was still sick.
However, the health checks were not the only thing about immigration that worried me. We also had to take a literacy test, and I wasn't sure I would pass it. Obviously I did, since I am here in New York City, but it was still scary. One of the questions on the test was "Are you an anarchist?". I thought it was a pretty absurd question, but it was an easy point towards passing the test. There were many different people at the port, and by that I mean many different ethnicities. It was comforting to see we weren't the only ones foreign to the country, even if the feeling only lasted a moment. At least we would know we weren't the only family in America who felt out of place. My father later told me places called "ethnic neighborhoods" helped ease the feeling of loneliness for other immigrants. Since we are from Ireland, we didn't really need to settle in an ethnic neighborhood. New York City is full of them though. The diversity here was one of the reasons my father chose this city as our new home. Not to mention it was easier than spending the little money we have to move somewhere else. I have to stop writing now. Mother asked for help in the kitchen. I will try to write again soon.
Bridget O'Reilly
American Immigrant wiki- Journal 2
We arrived at Ellis Island after our eleven day journey. As we were loading off the SS Neckar we saw so many other immigrants waiting for a new start. Emilio and I got to walking and got ahead of the crowd so we could get done easier. We had no idea what to expect when we walked in. There was a long flight of stairs that we had to walk up. People were getting marked on with white chalk and their kids were getting separated from them. I felt horrible for the parents. We past the stairs test so we went in to a room with a bunch of tests. First they asked Emilio for his passport and I frantically had to search my pockets until I remembered it was in my boxers for safe keeping. Next they asked us if we had $25, of course Emilio and I had money, we were the best counterfeiters in the world! The last test they put us through were literacy tests that asked us about our past life and America. One of the questions was if I was an anarchist. If I was an anarchist would I say I was? I don’t this so, Emilio said the same thing, we thought it was a silly question… As the day went on, we passed all of our tests and were now free to the city of New York! We decided that we were going to stay in New York since there were many job opportunities, and we didn’t know where else to go. Antonio and Lia thankfully got the note we sent them before we left saying to meet us by on the dock from Ellis Island. They took us to their settlement house which seemed to provide many services that helped immigrants and themselves out. They lived by an ethnic neighborhood which kind of scared me because there were the same people throughout the neighborhood. Lia and Antonio were talking about Jane Adams and how she helped immigrants and created the Hull House. Emilio and I decided we should move their and settle in and maybe learn a few things while we live there. We moved the next day and it was by a whole row of Row Houses which seemed to be very crowded and unsafe. Emilio and I got unpacked and got to talking. We realized that we made a good decision moving to New York, we feel safe without the mafia under our noses.
-Eustachio Russo
Entry 2
After a long and smelly trip across the sea, we finally landed at an island that I learned was named Ellis Island. It was a very intimidating place to be. The buildings looked like nothing I had ever seen before. The first thing you saw was a very large staircase with lots of scary looking men with chalk. I was incredibly nervous walking up those stairs. There were several people around me that were pulled aside and marked with the chalk but they didn’t seem to take notice of me as I walked up. Once at the top I was asked to fill out some forms and there was a very strange question on one of them. It asked me if I was an anarchist because apparently their president was shot by one. I was then tested to see if I could read English and then I was inspected by some man in a white coat. After that, I was asked if I had 25 dollars one my person and it only reminded me of how bad I felt to have stolen that money. When I was done with all of that I was approached by a very nice man who claimed to be from Tammany Hall but heck if I knew what that was. He asked me where I was from and if I had any place to stay yet. I had no idea where I was going to stay so I was hoping there were other Welsh that I could stay with. He said that there were many ethnic neighborhoods in New York but he didn’t know of a Welsh one. He did, however, know of a place in Cattaraugus County called Freedom city where he knew other Welsh lived. He told me how to get there and once I arrived, it was very nice to see people from my country.
Yorath Gibbs
June 21, 1893We Finally reached America. The water is to shallow for the boat to touch the main land; we have to wait for a smaller boat to come and ferry everyone across to Ellis Island. I am very nervous. On the island a number of test are given. They will determine weather we are allowed to enter the United States or not. Unfortunately, so many people want to enter the U.S. that the ferries are backed up. We have to wait a few more days until we can set foot on dry land. -EmmaJune 27, 1893While we were waiting, Kassandra came down sick. she had a high fever and couldn't stop coughing. By the time it was our turn to be ferried across, Kassandra was so weak she could hardly stand. When we reached the island some men came and looked her over. Before they left, one of the men pulled out a piece of chalk and put a mark on her coat. We were both so scarred. On the boat we heard people say that if you were marked it meant you were sick and would be sent back from wherever you came from. I didn't want Kassandra to be taken from me. In a long line, all the immigrants slowly made their way up the steps to the interrogation room. When we reached the top of the stairs, men came and took Kassandra away. I cried as she left. I doubt I will ever see her again. The children and I were quickly shuffled into a crowded room. A doctor came and checked all of us to make sure none of us had any sort of sickness. When he finished a young woman came and gave us many tests. She asked all of us to read a sentence, count backwards from 10, and do a math problem. Thankfully all five of us passed the test. When the questions were done, we had to give our name, occupation, and destination to a man who wrote all of it down on a legal document. This meant that we were now citizens of the United States. As we walked out of that room, i have never felt more relieved or happy in all my life. - Emma June 28, 1893I spent the 25 dollars I had on train tickets to get us to Chicago. I heard that Chicago was made up with a number of different ethnic neighborhoods but that south Chicago was mostly Germans. i believe that my family will feel more comfortable if they are living around their own kind of people.
_
It has been months since I have last entered something in this journal. When we first got off the boat, we found ourselves in a place called Ellis Island, where they checked our papers and health. We passed! It was just basic English literacy tests, and they also asked if we had 25 dollars. We showed them just that, and kept the rest of our newly acquired money hidden. They also asked us if we were anarchists—one of the people next to us said yes, and they were deported back to Italy! It was an incredible relief to get off the boat and see fresh air—and lady liberty, such a splendid sight! I have completely turned my back on the past, and refuse to remember any details of it; I am moving on. When we came in after that, we headed to a place called Mulberry Street in New York, where we would settle in with countless other Italians. They call it an ethnic neighborhood, but sometimes I think that makes it sound like a bad thing. It has been nice to have some people who spoke our language around us! We live in a “dumbbell tenement” but have considered moving into a settlement house. We want to conserve as much money as possible, and try to fit in with the other immigrants.
Since then, I have been searching for a job! I haven’t found one yet, but may make clothing again like in Italy. I have also met a man, by the name of Antonio. We met on the ship, and became fast friends, but now it has turned into something more than that! He proposed last week and we are to be wed next month! He is 25, and gorgeous. Some of the Americans look down on the fact he is ten years older than I, but I ignore them.
As for the rest of my family, I am concerned with Maria. She has been working at a Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where she is sewing and mass producing parts for a shirt. I honestly think she could find better work because the factory is known for having poor safety regulations and she works with little children! Some of them are 11 and 12, and she is only 13 herself! It makes me sick to know that this country has no child labor laws. I’m trying to convince her to help me make clothes, and sell them out of our house. Mario would probably benefit from doing that too, considering his mental state. Plus, there are no clothing shops in our ethnic neighborhood, so we would have good business.
I shall write soon with more news,
Marcella DeLuca
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July 20th, 1891,
When I arrived at Ellis Island, I was overwhelmed with excitement. One man was so excited he screamed until his face turned purple, then he started having a coughing fit, and a couple people from the island dressed in white suits rushed over to him, marked him with chalk, and took him away. I didn't understand why, I thought maybe since he was so excited he was getting special treatment. The Americans must be all about excitement. Although as I kept going through the lines I continuously saw people coughing and being chalked and taken off of the boat, and thats when i realized if someone was marked it meant they were sick. This made me very cautious of who I stood by, because I did not want to become sick and kept out of America. I felt sorry for the sick people, they came so far, and to be taken away at the last moment must have been heart breaking. There was nothing I could do for these people, so I just kept walking through the lines. When I made it to the front of the first line, they asked me for my passport, but I couldn't find it! I was so scared, but luckily the man that was beaten up in the fight, Fineas I believe his name is, sprinted up to me yelling. He came to me out of breath and very tired looking with my passport! I was so thankful. I immediately let him cut me in line, we introduced each other, and I thanked him profusely for bringing me my passport. After I made it through the first line and to the front of the second line, the people in white coats checked me to make sure I wasn't sick. They checked me all over, even my eyes! I passed the test, and moved onto the next station, where they tested everyone's intelligence. My test was not to hard, and I knew all of the answers, like telling them I wasn't an anarchist. The man next to me was having a little bit of a harder time, but I think he ended up passing, because I saw him later on in the lines. When I reached the front of the final line, the person at the desk asked me for my name and other information. Once I gave it to him and showed him my $25, he gave me a piece of paper, and allowed me into America. America was amazing, but wasn't fully what I expected. Once I accomplished getting through the lines, Fineas, accompanied by another man came up and talked to me. Fineas intorduced us to eachother, and I learned that the man was part of the Tweed Ring, which i guess was bad but the man seemed nice and generous. He offered me a place to stay in a Rowhouse, but I politely refused and told him I was going to Minnesota to farm. He stopped me before I could do anything more, and informed me of everything he could do for me. His offers were so helpful and great I couldn't leave, so I decided to stay in New York until I need to leave and get my farm life started in Minnesota. After all that is what I came to America to do.
-Jorgen Jergenson
January 27, 1901 We finally arrived at Ellis Island. We had to go through many health inspections today to make sure we weren't sick. We also had to take literary tests and read a card, but this wasn't too difficult. Some officials checked to make sure we had our papers and $25 each. We had just enough money to make it in. Cecilio coughed once and was marked with chalk. He had to have a more thorough health inspection, and I thought he was going to be sent back to Italy. There seems to be a lot of tension here at Ellis Island. Families here come much bigger than ours. I saw a man and woman walking with twelve children. Most of the children were too young to care about the new scenery but the older ones had looks of fear on their faces. Should I be scared too? America has to be better than Italy, right? What did those older kids know that I didn't? Some of the officials here act like they don't want us here. An older man said the Americans don't all like us coming to their land. The old man called those people who didn't want us nativists. I don't feel very welcome in this new land, but I don't want to ask Angelo how he feels in case I scare him. We are headed to New York City soon because we heard there are a lot of job opportunities. I'm not sure where we'll stay yet. A lady was talking about some housing called the dumbbell tenements, settlement houses, and row houses. I'd prefer not the live in the unsafe dumbbell tenements, but I'll take what I can get. I'm scared of this new land and losing all of my culture, but a lady I met said that she is going to an ethnic neighborhood so she doesn't have to give up her culture. That sounds nice but the whole point of leaving was to have a better life. Not the same life in a different place. We'll be heading to the city soon. I can't wait to see the rest of America.
Mia Bianchi
November 26, 1893
today we finally reached america we arrived at a place called Ellis Island. I wasn't so sure about America at first i heard there was a lot of child labor . Ellis Island was a crowded place as well as the boat which didn't make me to happy because i was hoping for a less crowded environment when i got of the boat. On the boat ride over it smelt very bad no one had bathed in almost three weeks. We really lucked out coming in cause we needed twenty five dollars to enter America but we only had twenty three. After a while of thinking how to get two more dollars i spotted some money on the ground at a guys feet. I made the dash it was a bit scary this was one big guy so i ran up to him got the money from below his feet and ran fast as i could to my family. i had just got three dollars enough to get us into America. So we all started up the stairs to go to the gate to officially enter America as going up people were getting white x's no one in my family got one i didn't know what they were and didn't bother to ask. So we got through all the security got our green cards and everything after showing we had our twenty five dollars and no x's and all the other jungle objects they wanted. My mom decide she she wanted to settle in the lower east side of New York. New York is a very busy place in america all the immigrants seemed to be crowded i didn't know how i was going to put up with it all. We ended up moving into some row houses. My mom also got a job working in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory she didn't like it much much but did it to support the family. She ended up passing away in the Shirtwaist fire by having to jump instead of being burned its been a rough couple last weeks i have went from switching homes to loosing family members and now having to join the child labor work force to support my family. So i guess you could say we have joined the melting pot.
Rurik Sviatyopok
Dear Diary,
Finally our ship got to New York! I was tired of the constant rocking of the ship from the moment I got on it. Now we are staying at Ellis Island for a few hours while we wait to get accepted to the United States of America. It feels good to finally be here in New York and off that ship. To make things even better it was sunny today with not a cloud in the sky. As soon as we got to the New York harbor we were ushered from our ship to a barge that took us to Ellis Island. When we got to Ellis Island it was and square Island with walls and nice looking buildings. At first we thought this was where we would be living, until some friends of ours from the ship said this is where immigrants like us get questioned before being allowed to enter the United States. We had to stand in a line for about two hours outside while waiting to be allowed to walk up a ramp lined with men holding clipboards and into a big building that we were told was the gateway to the island. When we got into the building we were ushered into a room and they said that we were lucky to have passed all the medical tests. This confused us because we didn't think that we had been tested. Then they asked me if I had twenty-five dollars or more. We still had our lira from Italy, however they were happy to exchange it into American dollars. We ended up with forty-seven dollars which was more than enough to get in. Next I had to take a test that asked if I was anarchist and if I was willing to be an American citizen. I knew that an anarchist was someone who opposed government, and after seeing what a weak government did to Italy, I decided that a strong government was very appealing. I just marked no to being an anarchist . I answered yes on the question about wanting to become a citizen. Then we had to take a literacy test which I thought was really easy and so I easily passed it. The final step before being allowed to enter America was to show our passports to an immigration official, then he stamped it and we were on our way. We had to wait for another barge to go into the city and the other immigrants suggested that we eat lunch while we waited. Our first lunch in the United States of America was a ham and cheese sandwich, some really good meal made up by Americans. At lunch we overheard other immigrants talking about where they were going to live as soon as they got into the city. This made me start thinking that I had absolutely no idea where I was going to live as soon as I got into New York City. I heard them talking about a concept of an ethnic neighborhood which sounded appealing to me, so I decided to go over and talk to them about these ethnic neighborhoods. I asked them if there was an Italian neighborhood, and they said that it was called Little Italy. This made me excited that I would not have to talk in English all the time, still be able to enjoy the company of other Italians, and that I could still enjoy my favorite Italian cooking without the pain of having to by expensive food like I did in Italy. I also asked these immigrants if they knew where we could live if we went to Little Italy, and they said that there was this type of house that a lot of people shared called a dumbbell tenement. If I was going to go live in one of these then I would have to rent out a very primitive room in that house for us to live in. However that would be more than enough room for three people and it would only be temporary until we could find a space in a row house when we could afford to move into one. Apparently the dumbbell tenements are very crowded and don't have very good sanitation, and the row houses are better because they have more room and better sanitation as well as less families living in them. Unfortunately the row houses are more expensive to rent than the dumbbell houses. There happened to be a plethora of these dumbbell tenements and row houses because instead of expanding out from the city, the city has reverted to growing up. Even from here on Ellis Island I can see the skyscrapers and tall buildings of the city. I've heard that this is called Urbanization. Well now I am getting ready to board the barge and finally head into New York City and set my own foot on American soil for the first time in my life.
sincerely,
Mario De Luca
American Wiki –Journal #2
After and eleven day journey Eustachio and I, finally arrive at Elis Island. As we are being herded off the SS. Necker we realize our ship is not the only one that has disembarked to America. “Quick!” a man holding a piece of chalk yelled. My daydreaming halted to a stop. The Americans definitely had a system down for processing everyone, they didn’t waist one second. Eustachio and I were very anxious to officially call ourselves Americans. If the men with chalk were to send us back to Naples our lives would take a short turn for the worst. There was a lot of talk about Nativism at the dock; I guess some citizens weren’t too keen on the idea of us being here. The family in front of us were chalked and separated. We were not sure what that meant, but we felt a slight feeling of sympathy for the children being taken away from their parents. The men quickly let Eustachio and I pass through and into some testing and questioning areas. We were immediately asked for our passports, while the questioners were reading through them, they were asking us questions about our reasons for coming into America and what we did for a living in our previous country. Eustachio hesitated, this was bad, we couldn’t tell them who we really are! I quickly fabricated a story about working at an iron mill. I then realized Eustachio and I would need an alias or we would have problems “disappearing into America.” Finally, we were asked if we are anarchists. In Latin we have a word very similar to this word and it doesn’t mean anything good, so I blurted out “no!” We were checked to see if we had 25$, are you kidding? We have 25$ and much more to spare. I was the best counterfeiter in all of Italy! After passing the rest of the tests Eustachio and I were finally let into New York as American Citizens! Hours later we met up with some friends that came to New York just a few years before Eustachio and I. We sent a letter to them a few days before we left Naples informing them of our plans to arrive at Ellis Island. Antonio and Lea took us to their dumbbell tenements, However Lea put up with living in that dirty place I will never know. After a few days Eustachio and I decided to get our own place within a row of House rows. They are probably not the safest but at least Eustachio and I will have a place of our own. Due to the Urbanization of New York the Row houses are crammed and are in Ethnic Neighborhoods, Eustachio and I don’t really fit in, so we just keep to ourselves. So far our travel has been very calming not have the Mafia breathing down our backs, things can only get better from here on out.
-Emilio Russo
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Dear diary,
Things are finally beginning to settle down. My brother Angus and I met up with Uncle Roger after we made it through the Ellis Island checkpoint. I found some of the questions they asked were rather strange, but I felt that they were trying to be as fair as possible. I don’t even know what an Anarchist is let alone whether or not I am one! Either way I was fortunate enough to be feeling good when we departed the boat; my bunk mate was turned back when he had a coughing fit at the top of the stairs! All is good with us however. Uncle took us to an Irish neighborhood on the north side of town where the Irish families in the tenements greeted us warmly. My Uncle told me that there were many Ethnic Neighborhoods across New York City where immigrants from across the world would feel at home. Uncle also told us he would talk to his boss at Tammany Hall to try and find us Jobs. He said Tammany is where all the local business owners go to find new workers. If uncle can find us jobs, I think we would like to stay here in New York. The people are friendly and housing is comfortable, although it is much smaller and more cramped then back home. Besides, it doesn’t really feel like we have left at all.
Liam
Gallagher
Journal Entry #2
As we are getting off the ship we see and hear that we are at the all dreaded Ellis Island. We are rushed into a line with many other Irish citizens. The line is moving so slow and my brother and I are very hungry and unsure when we will get our next meal. While in line we meet a girl named Chloe O'Connor, who's friend died on board, and we offer to let her tag along with us. When we finally reach the front of the line we are met by an inspector.
Without even a hello, the inspector starts asking to see our passports and see our twenty-five dollars; we all make it through without a problem. We then advance on to another line where an inspector asks us just one question. Without a reason why, he asks us if we are anarchists. As we all reply no, he also allows us to advance. At the next step up this monotonous journey at Ellis Island we are given a basic literacy test. This test was a joke and we were asked questions like how to spell "cat" or "dog." Next we are hustled to another line, where we are given a health test. THIS WAS THE WORST OF ALL THE TESTS!! We are forced to stand there while a man digs his hands into our eyes, which we were told was to look for hook worms. At last we are finished! We all promised to each other, that we would never return to Ellis Island! We now are taken from Ellis Island to New York. We need to decide where we are to settle down. As we are entering the gates into New York, a man who introduces himself as Chris, tells us that if we are interested he can get us a job and a place to stay, in New York City. So we unanimously decide to settle down in New York City.
September 10th, 1904 - Ellis Island, AmericaI stepped down onto the bridge that connected the boat to the dock. I finally made it to America! The boat ride across the Atlantic is over! Finally I'm going to be able to have some freedom and a chance in life. I could breathe the fresh air and it was finally nice to be off of the crammed boat. I carried my small bag with me, for I packed light. I just brought my best shirt and two pairs of pants. When I got off of the ship an inspector pinned a number to me. I'm not sure what it was for, but I didn't care to ask many questions. I got into the long line of other people who came to America. The line moved slowly and it took a while. I finally reached the part in line that was at the stairs up to the second story of the building. I noticed some inspectors on the side of each side of the stairs just watching all of us walk up the stairs. Each one had a clip board and chalk. When they noticed someone cough or stagger up the steps they would walk up and mark them with the chalk. I made it to the top of the stairs without being marked at all. I was happy, but I knew I didn't have anything wrong with me. I noticed a piece of paper on the ground talking about the Chinese Exclusion Act. It said how no Chinese immigrants were allowed into America. When I got to the top of the stairs I entered the Registry Room where an inspector got a closer look at me. He ended up making sure I could read and write, which I could because I was taught by my mother back home. He asked to see my money and I pulled it out. He saw that I had $26.30. He said, "Thanks," and let me continue on. The whole entire process took sometime around 5 hours. It was very exhausting. I was guided down the stairs out of the Registry Room. I noticed families crying on the stairs because they were being separated from some taking the trains out of Ellis Island and some going to the recovery place. A little boy who appeared to be 4 years old was being pulled away from his mother by one of the inspectors and his mother was trying to hold on. They both were crying. It brought a few tears to my eyes and I felt great sorrow. I moved down the stairs and continued to the train station. A man standing in a black suit greeted me. He introduced himself was William O'Conner. He seemed very friendly to me. He told me that he was here to help me get settled in American. I greatly appreciated his willingness to help. He told me he was from Tammany Hall, but I wasn't sure what that was, so I asked him. He told me that it was a Democratic political machine, but he didn't want to get into too much detail. He bought both of us a train ticket and I boarded. The train stopped 45 minutes later and he told me this was the stop and we were in New York. I got off and we were in an ethnic neighborhood. There were many other Italians around and many dumbbell tenements and row houses. The dumbbell tenements were filthy with garbage lying all over and they were very crowded. I could see the row houses and they looked much better than the dumbbell tenements. I asked William where I would be living and asked him about the row houses. He told me that he knew where I could live in a row house for the price of a dumbbell tenement. Together we walked a quarter mile down the road. He knocked on a door of a house and a man came to the door. William told him that he was here to get me a house and the man at the door handed him a key. The number 326 was engraved into the key. We walked down the street more and arrived to the row house marked 326. William unlocked the door and handed me the key. He told me this would be my new home in America. I was warned about people that were for Nativism, because they would probably harass me for being an immigrant. But I wasn't too worried about that. He also how us immigrants coming to New York was a good thing because the urbanization was happening which meant farther advancements in different things, new buildings, and more people. He went into some society stuff, but I began to not really pay attention. He finished up his talk with telling me that I needed to get some sleep because he was going to take me to get a job tomorrow then walked out. I'm so excited to finally get my job tomorrow and work for money. I've been waiting for this opportunity for a while now. Time to get my sleep so I'm not tired tomorrow!
Amando Abruzzino
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Olena Volk
August 29Th, 1900
We stepped off the boat today and greeted the warm, fresh and cleansing air. Three weeks all together on a boat is way too much together time if you ask me! I was so nervous about what would happen next but it didn't matter because I was alive and free. Ellis Island is almost magical, the Statue of Liberty is so large and somehow perfectly depicts the Americans' pride in their country. When we got off the boat we were put through a series of tests before we could enter the country. One set of tests was a questionnaire asking us if we were anarchists, apparently they thought we believed that no government was far better than none at all. We have great faith in the governmental system in place in America as it is much better than our previous one. We also went through medical tests and were put under severe scrutiny at any hint of sickness. Thankfully my family and I left Odessa very healthy and well so we did not have to be chalked ad examined. Mama and Papa saved the last of their money so we could get in, it came to about $25 in American currency. We passed through and signed the book they had for the immigrants to sign, it was kind of like a special initiation into America. We are heading out for the Dakotas or Minnesota when spring arrives, but for now we will stay with my aunt and uncle who live in New York. We head for the Russian ethnic neighborhood where they live in a dumbbell tenement until papa can find a job. We want to head out in the spring for the Dakotas when papa has money so we can get some land for farming. We used to plant large quantities of red wheat and make all sorts of baked goods for the family, our last days in Odessa though weren't quite as cheerful. Tsar Nicholas II made us give up our wheat to the soldiers and demanded that papa go and join the Russian army. The people here in America seem less willing to help us out being immigrants and all. American people are devout believers in nativism so end up getting forgotten as people in the process. Our first night with my aunt and uncle was quiet and cramped but I had food and could get to sleep for once so it was progress at least. We ate what little food we had left from our arrival to eat; beef stew, potatoes, bread and herring, bananas, sandwiches and ice cream. The bananas, sandwiches and ice cream were the most interesting things I've ever eaten, it was like nothing I'd ever eaten before. Tomorrow we will begin to look for work, any of us that can get jobs that is. It will my first day as an official American and I will have access to all of the opportunities this country has to offer. Everyone is bubbling about New York City and how it's become a hot spot for urbanization. The city has come alive with factories with everyone working and living here to be closer to the modernized lifestyle. The work found here is far better than being in the country side I've heard, that's all they say. Farming is still important, but life in the factories has taken over everything. I hope that we can find a job with every immigrant in New York searching for a job too. Tomorrow is the day to worry about it, for now I need to sleep.
It has been two weeks and a few days since i left my home in Italy. As soon as i got off the dreaded ship, i immediately tried to grasp every aspect of the new world. I could barely stand because of the excitement. I gathered my belongings and waited to get off the ship. I was so glad to be getting off and leaving the horrible trip behind. As soon soon as was off I looked before me. Leading up to a building there was a large set of stairs. Spread pout among the stairs, there were men in white jackets. As the ship of people moved up the stairs the white jacketed people would pounce. One single cough, and they would mark on them with some kind of chalk. Many watched as I walked by, but i was careful to look very healthy. I watched as the mother of 3 was marked with a big T. I wondered what that could stand for. At the top of the stairs, I stood in line to walk into the building. The people that were marked on were taken into a seperate room. I was moved to another line where a tall man looked at my passport, and checked if i had twenty-five dollars. Passing that, I was moved to one more room where i was seated. The put a piece of paper in front of me and told me to fill it out. Thanks to Luca, I could read everything it asked, and knew i passed with flying colors. One section though, slowed me down. It was a section all on its own. It simply asked, "Are you an anarchist?" My father had explained to me to check no, otherwise our efforts were useless.I finished my test and walked it to the man once again. I was saddened at the sight of people struggling to get through the test. I was sad to think that they could possibly be sent home after coming all this way. They then asked me where I would be going now that I was in America. I said the city that had been on my mind for five years. "New York City," I stated proudly. I was then ushered to the door, and the man said three words I will never forget. "Welcome to America." I had finally arrived. I chose NYC because it was so close to where I had landed. Also, the friends that had immigrated already, were waiting for me with a home to stay. It was located in some place called an ethnic neighborhood. I was full of people from Italy which was comforting because I knew i would not be judged immediately. Also, it could help not miss my home as much. I must go now, and settle in. I will write again soon. - Arianna Ferrari
October 2, 1880
Things in Angel Island are not what I imagined. It is very crowded and I have been standing in line all day and all night waiting for my citizenship test. My feet hurt, I am hungry, and I am nervous that they won’t let me in to America. I am in perfect health, I can speak English fluently, I am not an anarchist, and I have enough money to buy myself a few months of rent in a Dumbbell Tenement. Rumors are going around that the American Government is trying to pass a law called the Chinese Exclusion Act that forbids Chinese immigrants, like myself, from entering America. If they turn me away and deport me back to China, I won’t make it past next year.
-Wang Chow
October 3, 1880
I am now a legal American citizen! I made it through Angel Island and I am set to start a new life. I was lucky that the man who was giving me the citizenship test was so greedy. They were giving these reading tests that were impossible to pass. I think they made it so hard because we were all Chinese. Luckily I was able to use some of my stolen American money from the mob, and give the man a bribe to give me my citizenship, even though I could read and write in English perfectly. I am now off to a Settlement House to get sleep, so I can look for a job in the morning.
-Wang Chow
September 2nd 1903
I am so glad to be off the boat. The fresh air is nice, but the walkway is very crowded. I am seeing, for the first time, American soil. We are at an island, and everyone says we must stop here before we can actually go to America, but this is still very exciting. “Ilio, Splendens! Come back! We are going inside the building!” I had wandered to try to glimpse America, but I wandered back to my mother as we entered the building at Ellis Island. I had wandered to try to glimpse America, but I wandered back to my mother as we entered the building at Ellis Island. The crowds here are pressing, and we can hardly get through the building. As we follow the crowd up the stairs, there are a bunch of men with clipboards. One of them stares at me, and I look away, scared. I start humming “Mica mica Parva Stella” as Splendens grabs my hand. Her soft hand calms me, until we get up the stairs. We were lost. Somehow, we had drifted away from Mother, and there was so many people shouting in different languages that I did not understand. Not wanting to loose Splendens too, I picked her up and looked around for Mother. There were many people filling out different papers. Somehow, I got into a line of people moving in a long snaking manner. It took forever, and the long line moved very slowly. Way up ahead, there were people who were sitting at tables, letting only a few people passing them at a time. I approached one of them. "Hai her head visto i mieigenitori?" I asked. The man stared at me blankly, and then asked "Do you speak English?" I did not understand him, so I shook my head no, and so he turned around and called someone over. I was then bombarded by questions in a many different languages until he said "Do speak Italian?" I nodded, excited. "Good. My name is Mr. Williams, and I am going to translate what this man is saying for you." Mr. Williams spoke to the other man, who then spoke to him. Mr. Williams turned to me and asked "Have you traveled here with parents, or by yourself?" "I lost my parents and siblings coming up the stairs. I don't know where anyone is, and I don't have my passport. My father had it." He translated that it to the other man, and then turned to me and said "Okay, we are going to let you wait here until you find your parents, okay. You can come past the table, but then you must stay here until you parents pick you up, and they are approved to pass, okay?" I nodded, and then followed him to a bench. Splendens, who had quietly been playing with her doll in my arms then asked "Ilio, where's mommy and daddy?" "Oh, Splendens, don't worry. They will come, okay. We'll find them." "But where are they?" "Coming. Why don't you go to sleep. I'll wake you up when they come." She nodded, then leaned over, and putonthe hard bench. I sat there for the longest time, watching all the people pass through the doors. Many conversations I recognized because they were in Italian, but many I did not. Some people were not allowed to pass, and those who were not all had marks on their coats that meant something to the people at the table, but most people had no idea what they meant. At last I saw little Quin worming his way through the crowd. "Quin, where have you been!" I grabbed Splendens, then ran to Quin. "Ilio!" he called, "Mother and father have been looking for you!" With that, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back through the crowd, until we got to our parents. Alba, who had had a slight cough ever since the boat had been marked with something, and so Mother had been watching him, and not us when I had accidentally slipped away. We made it to the one desk, and were allowed to pass, after a couple of pokes and prods. We were handed pieces of papers that we had to fill out the questions. Many of them, I did not understand, so I asked Mother. One of them that I didn't understand was a question about anarchists. My mother told me to just say no to it, but I later found out that they were people who doesn't like organized government, and I am glad I put no. we were shuffled from room to room, and poked and prodded even more. Mother grew worried because she had not found Alba, and we were almost done with what Father called 'Processing.' After a while, I asked Father where we were going to stay. "For awhile, we are going to live in houses called tenements that are shaped like dumbbells. We will live there until we have enough money to get to Salt Lake." "How are we going to get money?"
"Well, I, Alba, Emi, and you are probably going to have to work in a factory, and Mother will stay home because Splendens and Quin are too young to work." "But that's child labor, Father! I want to go to school and learn to speak English!" "Yes, you will son, when we get to Utah, but until then, Mother and I are going to need you to work." I nodded as we finally came out of the building just in time to see my first American sunset!
-Ilio Bella
July 9, 3:00 pm: We are in America now. It was the most exhilarating sight I
have ever seen in my life. I am so happy right now, I can't even explain it.
We are now on a place called Ellis Island. It is a very small piece of land
very close to New York, which is where my mother, sister, and I are headed.
We are standing in a line now waiting to be inspected. I am not sure what
they are inspecting, but it makes me a little nervous. Most people I have
seen have gotten through; there was a mother and her older son who got
separated that I saw. They put her to the side and let her son go through.
She looked scared and sad, she was crying.
4:00pm: We just made it through! I am so happy, now there is nothing to do
but start enjoying the luxuries of America! We walked up these stairs while
all the inspectors just watched. It was scary. Once we reached the top of
the stairs we were all inspected and my mother took something called a
literacy test, and an anarchist. Good thing my father sent us over with $30,
because they made sure we had at least 25. They also asked if we were
Anarchists. We said we were not. That is good because, otherwise we wouldn't have been alowd into America. While I was waiting for my mother
to take the test and get checked I met a very nice girl. Her name is Sara
and she is from Greece. Her boat just landed as well. We talked for quite a
while a she seems to be just as excited as I about being here. She has left
now, but I sure hope I will see her again. I think we would be friends.
6:00pm: Wow, I have not been here long and I already am very overwhelmed.
New York is a very large city. My mother says it is large and crowded, but
we will have the best opportunities here and right now, we just don't have
the money to live outside of the city. It is also just much easier to be
right where we will work, because we don't quite know our way around yet. We
are currently living in a dumbbell tenement for now. I am not very fond of it.
We have no room and it is pretty dirty. We looked at some Row Houses but the
dumbbell tenements fit what we needed better. The row houses were just not
enough wide open space. But just like the boat, I will get used to it. I
will not complain because I know my mother and father are working very hard
to provide for our family. Well I must go to bed now. I have a busy day
ahead me. I will explore the city and try to find a job. Good night.
Brigid Athol